About Us
The Hummin’Birds draw their inspiration from American musical pioneers like Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, Bob Wills, Doc Watson, Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard, and the list goes on.
Before forming as a duet in Minneapolis in the early 2000’s, Mike Silbernagel and Cami Harris were both active in the Minnesota bluegrass and old-time music community, playing in hard-driving bluegrass (Mike) and country roots (Cami) bands. They eventually came together and won first place in the 2006 Minnesota Bluegrass & Old Time Music Association duet contest at the Minnesota State Fair before moving to Denver later that year and have been sharing their thoughtful musical arrangements and vocal harmonies with audiences ever since.
They deliver an easygoing, energetic performance, mixing it up with fiddle tunes, bluegrass, a bit of honky-tonk and western swing, and original songs. Several talented musicians from the Midwest and the Front Range regularly join the duet to have fun and make good music! These days, the Hummin’Birds can usually be found playing rain, snow, or shine, in a rustic, mountainous setting somewhere in the state of Colorado.
Cami Harris sings lead and harmony and plays guitar. Singing in choirs from childhood through college, she was drawn to the pure, meditative qualities of early polyphonic vocal music. Choir provided the opportunity to sing in great cathedrals throughout the U.S. and Central Europe. She briefly studied opera and classical vocal music before discovering roots styles in early country and bluegrass, which she now considers her musical home. Cami enjoys the authenticity and community aspect of this genre of music and especially likes finding harmony with others.
Mike Silbernagel sings and plays banjo and mandolin. He has been musical all his life, beginning with church music as a youngster. After spending two years studying music theory, piano and vocal techniques at Collings School of Fine Arts, he moved into rock and punk as a young adult. In 1993 he quit his executive job, bought a banjo and began traveling to community gatherings and bluegrass festivals around West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio, studying Appalachian traditions in music. Mike has a deep sense of the timeline and respect for the tradition of old time and bluegrass music and enjoys bridging it to a contemporary audience.
We collaborate with a variety of talented musicians along the Front Range to create the ideal combo – from duet to quintet – for each event.