MUSIC

The Tennessee Warblers are practitioners of Americana jamgrass with an emphasis on folksy harmony & song.

A Nashville staple since 2014, the Tennessee Warblers deliver good-time Americana jamgrass—blending heartfelt originals with cherry-picked covers bridging bluegrass roots with modern improvisation.

John soaked in Northern Illinois bluegrass traditions before making a detour to Colorado, the jamgrass capital of the world. In an effort to round out his musical education he headed south to the home of country music.

raised on the Boston folk scene, adam majored in Music Performance & Sound Recording at UMASS Lowell before venturing south toward the nexus of roots, rock and southern soul.

Luke surfed on California waves and the sound of Jerry Garcia’s guitar before picking up the bass and touring the country. Eventually landing in Music City with his musical life partner, Ginger Sands, he’s continued to keep the groove and foster community through music.

The band was born when John Beck (vocals & mandolin) and Adam Dalton (vocals & guitar) bonded over their shared love of the acoustic music of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. Their first co-write, Restless, sparked a five-year residency at Nashville’s legendary Sutler Saloon, where the Warblers cut their teeth and built a loyal following. In the years that followed, they toured regionally and played festivals while also paying tribute to their heroes with full-album performances of Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline and the Grateful Dead’s Europe ‘72.

In 2022, the Warblers released their debut album Small Town Songs, recorded live with engineer Nathan Yarborough (The Mavericks, LeAnn Rimes, Mastodon). The record drew praise from WMOT Roots Radio’s Ana Lee as “a really fun album…a lotta great covers, a lotta great originals,” and the Nashville Scene’s Edd Hurt hailed it as proof that “the Nashville bluegrass-Dead community is thriving.”

With the addition of bassist Luke Sands in 2022, the band launched their Small Towns Tour and quickly expanded to high-profile appearances including sold-out shows at the world-famous Station Inn, WMOT’s Finally Friday broadcast, Lightning 100’s Sunday Night Live, a collaboration with Midnight North at the Touch of Brews Festival, and performances at the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and the Bluebird Cafe. They’ve also shared bills with Leftover Salmon, The Travelin’ McCourys, The Kitchen Dwellers, The Cleverlys, and The Sam Grisman Project—bringing their music to clubs and theaters throughout the South, and even serenading Chuck Norris (and living to tell the tale). Their first video premiered on The Bluegrass Situation, further cementing their place in the modern roots scene.

Today, the Tennessee Warblers continue to bring their vibrant jamgrass sound to audiences everywhere and are currently at work on their next record, set for release in Spring 2026.