Whitney Mann cut her teeth in the Madison, Wisconsin music scene. A regular tour stop for musicians traveling from Chicago to Minneapolis and back again. A town with an eclectic music scene supported by residents who regularly attend shows of local bands and songwriters alike. A city that birthed the seminal rock band Garbage. 

Whitney, herself, started gaining popularity in Madison through a songwriting contest at Triple-A radio station 105-5 Triple M and a monthly request-show residency at a neighborhood restaurant/bar, The Alchemy, where she honed her craft for 18 months. 

In 2009, Whitney released her debut EP The Way Back Home, which led to an opening slot for Willie Nelson in front of 3,000 screaming county music fans at the arena in La Crosse, WI, and to her winning Best New Artist from the Madison Area Music Awards (MAMAs) in 2010.

2011 brought more 1,500+ seat theater shows opening for legends and emerging acts, a new EP, The Western Sky, meetings and showcases in Nashville and a Best Country Artist nomination from the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI). Whitney played at famed festivals SXSW and Summerfest while on the rise. She didn’t fit the Nashville Country Music mold, though. And the pressure of continuous growth and success started to wear on her. By 2016, Whitney went on hiatus to settle down and start a family.  

In 2021, the music came flooding back. COVID lockdowns, her sparkling children, and world politics from the eyes of a mother brought new inspiration and songs that she was excited to share.  

“Mann’s melodies, a combination of country grit and folky singer/songwriter assuredness, roped you in from the moment they wafted across the bar and into your ears.” – Mark Griffin, The Cap Times

Whitney Mann is a seasoned singer-songwriter whose key goal is to make people feel during her shows; to peer into the depth of their human experience and examine the view. But she also wants people to laugh, to howl at the absurdity of life. And, with her trusted Larrivée acoustic guitar strapped to her chest, she threads that needle with ease. 

Whitney was born and raised in the Midwest and, as a girl, she dreamed of creating art like “those people” she heard on her parents’ records; Dusty Springfield, Ray Charles, Neil Diamond. “I daydreamed all day, every day, of singing songs that I wrote in front of thousands of people,” she says. At the age of four, she began writing her own songs and two decades later she was opening shows for Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Loretta Lynn.

“I love the craft of songwriting, of making something beautiful out of nothing.” Whitney says. “Music is an art form that brings people together. It creates connections that go beyond age and status. It binds us all together and I’m grateful to be able to contribute in my own way.”

Has appeared on:

NPR, PBS Wisconsin, 105-5 Triple M (Triple A), Wisconsin Public Radio, Iowa Public Radio, WDVX, WUWM, WMSE, WMIL, WORT

Has shared stages with:

Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Ray LaMontagne, Guy Clark, Jeff Daniels, Secret Sisters, Joe Pug, Corb Lund, and many more

Has played at festivals:

SXSW, Summerfest, Country Throwdown, Mile of Music, Catfish River Music Festival, WMSE Radio Summer Camp, Madison Roots, and more