Jake & Rebekah Workman
Rebekah Workman has been fascinated with music since she was very young. Growing up she learned to love and appreciate bluegrass music, due to the fact that her mom and dad constantly listened to it. She got a violin for Christmas when she was 8 years old. Rebekah practiced hard and began to enter contests with just 2 years of playing experience. Rebekah won the Utah State fiddle championship in her division 3 times and placed 15th in the National Old Time Fiddlers Contest in Weiser, Idaho in her division as well.
Despite success in competition, she longed to play music by ear rather than learn to just play an arrangement the same way again and again. Rebekah began learning the art of improvisation from involvement in the Utah Old Time Fiddlers and expanded her improv skills by playing in a number of different bands throughout her high school years. While playing at a jam session in Utah, a chance meeting with a young guitar player named Jake Workman gave Rebekah the chance to add to her incredible skill and opportunities to perform. Before she knew it she was married to the guitar player and they have since played in many various groups together.
Jake Workman began playing the guitar when he received one for his 13th birthday. As with most teenagers, his early music included the songs of his favorite rock bands such as The Beatles, Boston, AC/DC and Van Halen. Practicing for 6+ hours a day was not out of the ordinary for Jake. During middle and high school years he joined up with a couple friends and formed a rock band called ‰ÛÏWayward Son‰Û�. About a year and a half after he started the guitar, Jake‰Ûªs introduction to bluegrass music came when his parent‰Ûªs surprised him with a banjo for Christmas. Jake‰Ûªs love for bluegrass grew over the next few years as he attended jams and festivals throughout the Western states and eventually the entire country. Jake began to enter instrument contests and has won many titles on guitar, banjo and mandolin. It was in 2007 at Winfield, Kansas while attending the National Flatpick Guitar Championship, that Jake met the other musicians that later would help form the band, Driven.
During that time period, at a jam session somewhere in Utah a talented fiddle player named Rebekah Travis caught Jake‰Ûªs eye. By the time Driven played their first gig of 2011 Jake and Rebekah were married and she had joined Driven as the full time fiddle player.
When not playing with Driven, Jake spends his time teaching private lessons, doing studio work, and performing with various other bands in the Salt Lake City area, many with Rebekah. He has a degree in Jazz Guitar Performance from the University of Utah. Jake was featured on the cover of the May/June 2015 issue of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. Jake is most influenced by traditional bluegrass, but his playing will also showcase extensive knowledge in the rock and jazz genres as well.