Marshall Wilborn
Marshall Wilborn (born March 12, 1952 in Austin, Texas) is an American bluegrass bass player and composer. He’s best known for his work with the Johnson Mountain Boys, Longview, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, Lynn Morris Band, and Springfield Exit. He grew up in Austin, started on the banjo, but switched to bass because many of his friends played the banjo.
In 1981 he met Lynn Morris and joined her band Whetstone Run in 1982, replacing Larry Robbins. After Whetstone Run, he briefly played with Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys, then joined the Johnson Mountain Boys in 1986. He co-founded the Lynn Morris Band in 1988 and married Lynn in 1989. The band released several albums until Lynn’s stroke in 2003, after which the group paused; Morris returned to the stage in 2011.
In 1994 Wilborn formed Longview with Don Rigsby, Dudley Connell, Joe Mullins, James King, and Glen Duncan. In 1999 he released Root 5, a bass-instrumental album with banjo guests; it was IBMA-nominated. In 2006 he formed Seneca Rocks! with Connell, Tom Adams, David McLaughlin, and Sally Love Connell. He joined Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper in 2007 and played with them until 2011. He later played with Springfield Exit; their debut album That Was Then came out in 2015. He joined Chris Jones & The Night Drivers in 2019 and continues with them. He has taught the Murphy Method on Mel Bay.
Awards: Bass Player of the Year by Bluegrass Now Fans’ Choice in 1998, and IBMA Bass Player of the Year in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 23:36 (CET).