February 1964 was a life changing experience after seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan for the first time. "The Beatles ruined my life."  Jeffrey has often been known to say, with dripping sarcasm. Jeffrey is currently teaching the 2008 spring term as a faculty member at the Camden Music School, teaching Music Theory classes along with individual instruction on guitar and bass. He is also a music instructor at the 2007-08 after school Rock & Roll band program at Marcy Open School in S.E. Minneapolis. Jeffrey will return as an instructor at the Rock & Roll Band Camp July 14 thru 24 2008 at Augsburg College, Minneapolis. Contact Jeffrey Willkomm

As a professional bassist/guitarists and vocalist, Jeffrey has over 30 years experience in live performance, theater, arranging, and session recording.

Raised in southwestern Wisconsin, where career opportunities for musicians were few, Jeffrey moved to the Twin Cities in 1976. He has played as a bassist with various Twin Cities groups including: Nip-N-Tuck, Burlesque, Rue Nouveau, TROVA, Gini Dodds, and Curtiss A. He also appears annually in the John Lennon Tribute shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN.

As a side man, Jeffrey has played with many 50's and 60's touring shows including: Martha and the VanDellas; Alex Chilton of the Boxtops; Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits; Gene Pitney;The Diamonds; Bowser from Sha Na Na; The Coasters; The Platters; The Mavelettes; The Drifters; Little Eva.

Beginning in 1986, Jeffrey was lured into the world of theatre with Rue Nouveau's appearance in Steven Dietz's concert play, "Painting It Red" at the Actor's Theater in St. Paul, MN. He reprised his role when the play was subsequently staged at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, CA.

In 1987, Jeffrey was recruited to appear in the Twin Cities production of "Ten November" by playwright Steven Dietz and music by Eric Peltoniemi. He appeared in ensuing productions at the Madison Repertory Theater (1988) and the Los Angeles Theatre Center (1989).

Jeffrey appeared in Steven Dietz's "Fooling Around with Infinity" at the Southern Theatre in Minneapolis (1988) and "Happenstance" at the Seattle Repertory Theatre (1989).

The group TROVA was formed in 1990 following the Ten November productions with Eric Peltoniemi and Ruth MacKenzie. TROVA produced two recordings for Red House Records and toured in the US, Europe, and Scandinavia until 1996.

In 1996, Jeffrey took a break from performance and studied music for two years with Jeff Berlin at The Player's School of Music in Clearwater, Florida.

In 2000, Jeffrey appeared in Illusion Theatre's production of "Mrs. Mackenzie's Beginners Guide to the Blues" under the music direction of local songwriter Gary Rue. Then

In 2001, he had the opportunity to music direct "Ten November" at Minneapolis's Theatre in the Round.

In 2007, Jeffrey appeared with Peter Ostroushko and Mark Anderson as the band for Circus Juventis in St. Paul MN

In 2006 and 2008, Jeffrey rejoined Trova and original cast member Prudence Johnson for a downsized version of the play "Ten November" adding vocalist Claudia Schmidt, musicians Peter Ostroushko, Dan Chouinard, and story teller Kevin Kling called "Gales of Noverber".

For information on the Gales of November, The Final Voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald, visit www.newmusicarts.org

	FUTURE PLANS: Jeffrey is working on his first solo recording, tentatively titled "Some of These Days", and new recordings with Gini Dodds and the Daliahs, and Curtis A and the Jerks of Fate. Jeffrey's son Josh Grimes and Melissa live in Madison, WI. Jeffrey and his wife, JP Hagerty, live happly in Minneapolis.