The trio of artists that is The Refugees emerged on the music scene as a verifiably unmatched force of talent, diversity, and experience. Each successful in their own right as a solo artist, Cidny Bullens, Deborah Holland and Wendy Waldman formed their unique and innovative group in 2007 and since that time have been wowing audiences, radio DJs, and music critics alike with their soaring harmonies, indelible musicianship, and unforgettably humorous stage presence.
Individually, The Refugees have logged almost four decades in the industry, with more than twenty solo albums and multiple Grammy Award nominations to their credit, featuring musical styles that blend country, rock, folk, blues and Americana. To describe them as eclectic would be an understatement. These three artists have utilized their intense drive and relentless passions to create an entirely new sound.
UNBOUND, their debut release on Wabuho Records was released in January of 2009 and garnered many awards. The album received rave reviews and is still a favorite on folk and Americana radio. The talented trio plays guitars, dobro, bass, mandolin, harmonica, accordion, and percussion, and features a mix of innovative new co-writes and fresh arrangements of a selection of their previously recorded radio favorites, including “Save the Best for Last,” and “Fishin’ in the Dark.”
Their second CD, THREE, was released in January 2012 on Wabuho Records (Burnside Distribution) and in April in Europe (Blue Rose Records). Three features the trademark Refugees sound but with the addition of drums (Scott Babcock) and special featured performances on fiddle by the world-renowned Sam Bush. Since it’s release Three has garnered rave reviews and charted in the Top 10 on Roots Music Report for many months.
The Refugees recorded and released a rockin' seasonal song "This Christmas" in the fall of 2014 which is becoming a yearly standard on the Holiday Charts. They are currently working on a new CD to be released in late 2018,
Cidny Bullens (formerly Cindy) got started as a studio back-up singer for Bob Crewe and then toured with Elton John after a chance meeting at a Hollywood party. Cindy garnered two Grammy Award nominations for her work on the Grease Movie Soundtrack and her own album Desire Wire, has had several Nashville co-writes on the Country charts, scored the Award-winning documentary Space Between Breaths, and wrote the musical Islands which appeared on Broadway as a special tribute after 9/11. Cindy's album Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth (1999) won AFIM's Best Rock Album in 2000 and became a worldwide phenomenon for bereaved parents. Cidny premiered his one person show Somewhere Between: Not an Ordinary Life. in February, 2016 in Santa Fe, NM. He has had successful runs in Nashville (where the show was voted Best Solo Show for 2016 by The Nashville Scene) and Portland, ME. The show is booked around the country in 2017, with hopes of an Off-Broadway run in 2018.
Deborah Holland began her career as the singer and lone songwriter for the critically acclaimed band, Animal Logic (with Stewart Copeland of the Police and virtuoso jazz-bassist Stanley Clarke). Deborah has released multiple solo albums, including her newest--the stunning Vancouver in 2013. She has scored and written dozens of songs for film and TV, was a long time music professor at California State University of Los Angeles, and now teaches at Langara College in Vancouver, BC.
Wendy Waldman is recognized as one of the leading recording artists and songwriters in music since the debut of her band Bryndle in the 1970s. In her successful solo career, Wendy is responsible for some of the best loved and most well known songs of the past several decades, including Vanessa Williams’ “Save the Best for Last,” and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s version of “Fishin’ in the Dark. She is highly regarded for her work as a record producer as well, overseeing countless projects in multiple genres, inlcuding Suzy Boguss, New Grass Revival, John Cowen, and international pop star Meitek Szczesniak.