Tal Wilkenfeld

There are showstoppers and then there’s Tal Wilkenfeld, who has literally stopped the music world in its tracks on more than one occasion. One of the first times was in 2006 at a memorable 40-minute sit-in performance with the Allman Brothers at New York’s Beacon Theater, in which a 19-year-old Tal was given the stage to perform a 5 minute bass solo during “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” It was part of the audition tape—along with her debut solo album, Transformation—that she sent to Jeff Beck, leading to her next seismic moment: joining Beck for his 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival, where we see the guitar legend bowing down to Tal while she plays a solo on “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers” that went viral and made Tal a global phenomenon. Equally impactful was the follow-up Beck recording, Live at Ronnie Scott’s. With the world now watching, Tal would go on to lend her talents to Mick Jagger, Prince, Bob Weir, Eric Clapton, Steven Tyler, Herbie Hancock, Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Todd Rundgren, Toto, Jackson Browne and Hans Zimmer. Returning to her roots as a guitar-playing singer-songwriter growing up in Australia, Tal once again drew the eyes and ears of fans globally when she released her debut vocal album, Love Remains [BMG], in 2019. Universal acclaim came from such outlets as Rolling Stone, Billboard, iHeart Radio and Paste for the record’s rich lyrics and Tal’s unparalleled journey from instrumental force to profound singer-songwriter. She subsequently brought her music to audiences via solo shows and as the opening act for the Who’s U.S. tour. Even the pandemic couldn’t stop Wilkenfeld, as the Prince estate released Welcome 2 America, a riveting trio project for which Tal enlisted drummer Chris Coleman and recorded with the Purple One in 2008, on the heels of her Beck breakout. Post-pandemic, Tal hit the road to continue to share and cultivate the ten gems on Love Remains, while also performing with Incubus on a U.S. tour, JP Saxe and Cory Wong at Bonnaroo and Scary Goldings featuring John Scofield and Larry Goldings at the Newport Jazz Festival.