Chris Wilhelm is known for bringing positive vibes and an uplifting message to his audience. He plays Americana, folk rock originals that are infectious and insightful, and sprinkles in covers too. Worldwide airplay brought his latest album “This Too Shall Pass" to be one of the Top 100 Alt-Country Albums of 2020, and it spent several months on the national folk charts as well.
Chris Wilhelm is a songcatcher and live performer. He made guitars out of cardboard before getting his first one at 13. Born in Hudson, NY, he later moved to Albany, NY, then Boston, and currently lives in Asheville, NC. He has released nine records and played thousands of shows. He has performed in theaters, concert venues, festivals, clubs, bars, libraries, retirement homes, subways, performed on the street and even played at a marathon. He played over 200 shows a year for several years.
In 2000 Chris played his first open mic and has been performing live and recording ever since. He's performed thousands of shows from the subways in Boston to venues up and down the East Coast.
In 2004, Chris released his first album, "McKinsley Steel" - it is well loved by many of his fans and includes classic songs such as "Travellin' on Down" and the title track.
In 2005 he released an album called "This Train's Not Going Slow." It reached #3 on Boston's 88.7FM WERS radio charts, and he played shows in many Boston venues including Club Passim, etc.
In 2008 Chris did his first solo tour, down to New Orleans and back to Boston. He released his second studio album, "Glory, Filth and Fame."
In 2010 did his second solo tour down South with his Dad, fell in love with Asheville, and ended up moving there that year on a "one month trial basis." He lives there to this day. He released a Kickstarter-funded CD called "Just Asking."
From 2012-2015 he played 225 shows a year as the singer-songwriter for The Wilhelm Brothers. They released two studio albums with Henry Hirsch, producer of Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, etc.: "Lay Your Burden Down" and "The Sea of the Unwritten." They also released live album "Like a Bird."
Since 2018 Chris has been playing to bigger audiences at larger venues such as the Isis Music Hall, The Grey Eagle, Highland Brewing. He now plays solo, with a rotating cast of musicians.
During the 2020 pandemic, he wrote and recorded "This Too Shall Pass" which debuted on the folk charts and is being played on radio stations around the world.
2021 saw the online release of "Joseph's Garage"- 12 new home demos recorded on a Tascam 4-track tape machine. Inspired by the Bruce Springsteen album, "Nebraska," which was recorded on similar equipment.