Sidesaddle
Bands / Ensembles
Sidesaddle, formed in 1979, is a bluegrass band from Saratoga, California, near San Jose. An all-woman band for its first 14 years, its founders include Kim Elking (?) (mandolin), Lisa Burns (bass) and Lee Anne Welch (fiddle). The 1985 lineup was Diana Deininger (guitar), Elking (mandolin), Sonia Shell (banjo), Karen Quick (bass) and Welch (fiddle). Guitarists Jackie Miller and Sheila Hogan McCormick played on the band's 1991 recordings. Around 1993, the lineup began to include men and the group changed its name to Sidesaddle & Company. Later members included guitarists Jerry Ashford and Glenn Dauphin and banjo players Dave Ristrim and Rob Horgan. The Northern California Bluegrass Society named Sidesaddle & Co. its Band of the Year in 2008.