Beth Wimmer, Performing Songwriter. New York born, Boston raised, California transplanted, thriving in Switzerland.
"Beautiful and compelling." -Moors Magazine, Holland
"Everything is chiseled. Wimmer's songs are beautiful and they are a testimony of her humanity." -Radio ISA, France
Spring 2020 -
Beth Wimmer's timely new album "Chemical Reaction" ignites with themes of love, death, a fox, and chemistry.
Thurgau, Switzerland--Beth Wimmer, 'Switzerland's Americana Songstress' releases her fifth album, "Chemical Reaction" (bookmark music). "Chemical Reaction" picks up where Wimmer's October 2017 album, "Bookmark", left off. "Bookmark" reached Number 18 on the Euro Americana Charts in early 2018. It won dozens of enthusiastic reviews in Europe, the UK and USA, and songs from "Bookmark", as well as from Wimmer's previous three albums, are in regular rotation on Radio RaBe Bern, Radio Swiss Pop and many terrestrial and internet radio stations across Europe.
Sounds Like: Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams
Latest News
April 2020 - "Chemical Reaction is an album that from the first notes makes me believe it is going to be a sunny day. The day may disappoint after all, Chemical Reaction does not." - WoNo Blogspot, NL.
"Sexy, sly and soulful, 'Chemical Reaction' is an album that definitely passes the litmus test." - Mike Davies, Folking.com, UK.
"An honest voice, full of heart and soul and incredible songs." ~ Swa, Rootsville.be, Belgium.
Beth Wimmer, 'Ghosts & Men'
Beth Wimmer traverses a panoramic, emotional palette with her songs of humanity, hope and humor. "A beautiful voice she has," says AltCountry.nl (Holland), "Wimmer serves her songs with veins full of soul".
American singer-songwriter Beth Wimmer has called the rugged, famous mountains of Switzerland her home for some time now. After two increasingly promising albums, her newest collection of country-infused rock, 'Ghosts & Men', is by some distance her strongest yet. (Americana-UK.com)
"Ghosts & Men' is a warm mix of uptempo blues and soul inflected Americana and more laid back, easy rolling balladry. The dappled folk haze of 'Easier Life' suggests early Joni Mitchell, while the funkier 'Bring You Back' and the southern soul swing of 'Makin' War' bring thoughts of Bonnie Raitt or the late Nicolette Larson. Deserving to reach as wide an audience as recent releases by Welch and Williams, it's a contender for 2011's best ofs." -NetRhythms UK
The songs from 'Ghosts & Men' are written and arranged by Beth Wimmer. The album was co-produced and engineered by multi-instrumentalist Damiano Della Torre (Sugar Blue, Terence Trent D'Arby) in Como, Italy. The album features Los Angeles great, David Raven, on drums. Della Torre plays electric guitar, bass, keyboards, accordion and percussion. Guest appearances from Pablo Leoni on drums and Gianluca Greco on the swiss Hang.
Beth Wimmer grew up in the countryside near Boston USA running through woods, wading in creeks, fishing, and playing with dogs, cats, ducks and rabbits. Her brother and sisters sparked her love for rock and roll, infusing their house with sounds of The Who, Jethro Tull, Heart, Neil Young, Janis Joplin and Cat Stevens. "The Pretenders and Led Zeppelin were essential to my survival as a teenager," says Wimmer. Beth's folk-singing grandfather was her darling, and her poet-artist, single mother, still her heroine. At the age of 18, Beth ventured to southern California. There she studied songwriting and practiced her live show.
Wimmer says, "I'd been singing on other musicians' projects since I was 14, but I always had an ache to tell my own stories. I needed a way to express my feelings on living. I found inspiration in the gift of a beat up guitar from a friend. Right around the same time the World Trade Center came crashing down, my first songs came flooding forth."
Wimmer released her first two fully-produced albums, 'Live Within Live Without' (2004) and 'Miracle Girl' (2008), with three in-demand Los Angeles musicians who had become friends and mentors for her: producer/drummer David Raven (Mojo Monkeys, Keith Richards, Norah Jones), bassist Taras Prodaniuk (Merle Haggard, Lucinda Williams) and guitarist Billy Watts (Eric Burdon, Bonnie Raitt). Raven co-produced and engineered Beth's records in his home-studio in Los Angeles, a 1925 French Gothic home which was originally a Catholic Rectory. Both 'Live Within Live Without' and 'Miracle Girl' were well-received, garnering praise in the US and abroad.
"...if Chris Isaac and Annie Lennox moved down to the southern part of the states and got themselves a baby girl - that girl would sound like Beth." - Melodic.net, Sweden.
Wimmer's songs have been chosen for onboard entertainment on Lufthansa airplanes, and have been placed in the independent film 'Two Of A Kind' (Honor Films, Los Angeles). Beth's song "Self Righteous Son of a Bitch" was a semi-finalist in the Dallas Songwriters' Association Songwriting Contest and a finalist in the UNISONG International Songwriting Contest. Beth's song "Weather" finished a finalist in the We Are Listening Lyric Writer Awards.
Beth Wimmer now lives in Switzerland with her husband and two cats. 'Ghosts & Men' is Wimmer's fourth, full-length album--and her first European-made record. 'Ghosts & Men' receives radio play and rave reviews in Switzerland, Italy, Holland, France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Spain, the UK, and the United States.
Catch Beth on tour throughout Europe in 2014.
about the music
"...she has the sass to match the sweet." ~ Mike Davies, NetRhythms UK
"An honest voice, full of heart and soul and incredible songs." ~ Swa, ROOTSVILLE.be, Belgium
Hi, I'm Beth Wimmer! thanks for taking a moment to read about me and my music...
Autumn 2011 sees my third, full-length album "Ghosts & Men" receiving praise and airplay in Europe and the USA! "Ghosts & Men" is recorded with multi-instrumentalist Damiano Della Torre of Como, IT.
I was born in New York, the youngest of five children. i grew up in rural Massachusetts close to the woods, the Merrimac River and Atlantic Ocean - with dogs, cats, ducks, my brother, three sisters, and our poet-artist, single mom.
My very funny, bright blue-eyed, guitar-pluckin' Grampa was my darling.
My brother and sisters got into rock and roll and all its side effects when I was about five years old. I saw my mom cry quite a few times, but thankfully, laugh a lot more...
My destiny was put into place when i couldn't stop listening to The Who, Heart, Jethro Tull, Bruce Springsteen... i dreamed of being a singer in a rock band. i created an entire stage play based upon Cat Stevens' "Tea For the Tillerman" album. The Pretenders and Led Zeppelin became essential to my survival as a teenager.
At 18 i moved to southern California, where my father lived. i sang harmonies live and in studio with various bands in Hollywood, but i continually had an ache to be my own songwriter, my own voice.
I met and fell in love with a swampy-rock band in LA: Mojo Monkeys. they broke my heart and inspired me to write songs.
I picked up the broken guitar i'd had for years and i started playing with it. words poured out of me and they never did stop. i cried, sang, and strummed. three chords. then five. now i think i know a good 8 or 9 chords. ;~)
First came my all-acoustic CD called 'beth wimmer'. it was mainly for my mom to hear what i was writing. that collection is available still on CD Baby - www.cdbaby.com/cd/beth2 - and it pleases me greatly that people continually download the songs from my first release.
I wrote constantly and to my sheer delight, the guys in Mojo Monkeys played on my next CDs. drummer David Raven co-produced, and i was blessed to have Billy Watts playing electric guitar, and Taras Prodaniuk play bass on my records!
My first, full-length album "Live Within Live Without" was released in 2004. it was exactly the album i wanted to make, a dream come true. and thank the gods it was to the liking of many people around the globe.
In 2006 i made an EP. i had a smokin' rock song ready called "Self Righteous Son Of A Bitch". i entered "S.O.B." in some contests and the song has won awards and lots of airplay.
2008 saw the release of my full-length "Miracle Girl" CD. again, co-produced with Raven and with the talents of Watts and Prodaniuk, now my dear friends. this album felt like my soul growing older, more joyful, with more compassion.
I took "Miracle Girl" with me to Switzerland in 2008 - toured, had an amazing time! in 2009 and 2010 i was honored with praise from the Europe music world: they wrote about "Miracle Girl", said it was a great album! they played it on the radio and offered me more shows.
Now i write, sing, tour in Europe and beyond. i meet interesting people, eat the best chocolate and drink delicious wines. i love seeing so much more of this globe than just sunny California, which is still always sweetly just beneath my skin.
I feel special, but i know i'm just lucky. i'm happy. i'm healthy. i love humanity even though the most powerful and famous people mainly just sadden and bewilder me. a lot of things break my heart, but everything inspires me.
"Wimmer unleashes painterly-like observations packaged amidst some of the catchiest hooks this side of Elvis Costello." - T. Reilly, Primerica Music Review, USA