Patchwork plays everything from original Florida folk, country and bluegrass to forties swing and rhythm & blues, all on acoustic instruments! The band hails from Gainesville, Florida, and performs at concerts, festivals, schools, clubs and parties throughout the state.  In addition to adding their feminine Florida flavor to special events at the Appleton Museum in Ocala, the Cummer Museum in Jacksonville and the Sunday Sampler in Dunnellon, they have also been broadcast live on national public television and radio. They are a favorite at the Florida Folk Festival, where they have played for over twenty years.

 

Cathy DeWitt

An eclectic musician whose roots branch out from classical and folk music to jazz, Cathy plays piano and guitar and sings. Several of her original compositions are on the Patchwork songlist, including “The Waves Roll In,” a winner in the 1999 Gamble Rogers Song Contest, and “My Heart Belongs to Florida,” a winner in the Will McLean Foundation’s Best New Florida Song contest. She has played at clubs and festivals throughout the state for over twenty years, including the Florida Folk Festival. She performed with Florida legends Will McLean and Don Grooms, and has sung with Tom Paxton, Dave Frishberg, Garrison Keillor, and others. In addition to hosting “Across the Prairie,” a popular folk music program on WUFT for fifteen years, now on WMBT-The Wombat, Cathy is the Senior Musician in Residence for the Arts-in-Medicine program at UF Health/Shands Hospital, and presents national workshops on music and healing. She won the National League of American Penwomen (Gainesville branch) Award for Music in 2000, and was named Gainesville’s Musician of the Year in 2010.

 

Jolene Stone Jones

A graduate of the University of Florida’s music program, Jolene is in demand for her wide vocal range. Her soaring harmonies and rhythmic mandolin playing are a distinctive part of Patchwork’s sound. She has performed in several local bands, as well as in the University of Florida production of “Madame Butterfly.” As a former music teacher, she has presented various workshops at festivals and schools throughout the area, and her high-harmony vocals have graced many a studio project.

 

Annie McPherson

Annie grew up playing music and singing, influenced by her mother who was a trained vocalist and piano player. An eclectic musician, she won 2nd place in mandolin and 2nd place in beginning banjo at the Old Time Music Championships in 2001, and started playing acoustic bass with Patchwork in 2006! She also sings, plays piano, and loves to play bluegrass and old time, swing standards and country music with her husband David Cook. Annie plays in the jazz group Bella Luna, and in Whitey Markle’s Swamprooters.

 

David Cook

David Cook grew up in Texas playing the organ at church. He went on to play pedal steel and guitar with Marcia Ball and appeared with her band on the first Austin City Limits. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays piano and all types of guitars including dobro and the mandolin. He has been teaching music in Gainesville since 1986. He plays classical, country, bluegrass and jazz standards. Besides playing in Patchwork he currently plays with The Shambles and Bella Luna.

 

Janet Rucker

A multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, piano, bass, and banjo, Janet is best-known for her distinctive voice, described by one producer as “fragile, yet powerful; vulnerable, yet confident.” A veteran of countless bands, she is in high demand as a session singer at local recording studios. Her original songs compose a large part of Patchwork’s repertoire, and her “Florida Home” was recently one of the winners in the Will McLean Best New Florida Song songwriting contest. She performed in the Hippodrome State Theatre’s 1987 production of “Hair,” and before forming Patchwork she toured the festival circuit from Colorado to Atlanta to Florida with her band, Country Love. Janet is a member of many bands, including The Relics, and recently released her first solo album, Unreasonable Love.

 

Tammy Murray, Emeritus Member

We couldn’t have started Patchwork without Tammy, our versatile instrumentalist and lead player. She was with us from the beginning and played with the group until the pandemic outbreak of 2020.  Among her many accomplishments are: Florida Rustic Fiddle and Twin Fiddle Champion, Florida Hammered Dulcimer Champion, National Old-Time Banjo Champion, and Florida Old-Time Female Solo Vocalist. She has performed in festivals and contests all over the country, as well as schools, museums, radio and television shows, theatrical productions, clubs and restaurants. In addition to releasing her own album, “Six White Horses,” she also plays on the Florida folk albums of Mark Johnson, Anna Moo (with Bo Diddley), Fay Baird (of the Short Sisters) and of course Patchwork. Carrying on the legacy of traditional music, she has held old-time jams for children, was the music teacher at Gainesville Country Day School, and taught privately in several locations.