About Dennis
Fiddle Tech at The Chicks, Progressive Bluegrasser, Traditional Fiddle Music, Western Swing, Multi-State & World Champion Fiddle Player, Studio Session Multitool
Current: The Chicks, Ludiker House, MilkDrive
Past: Asleep at the Wheel, South Austin Jug Band
Dennis Ludiker is a fourth-generation fiddle player born in Spokane, WA. Moving to Austin at age 18, he joined South Austin Jug Band (2002-2009), and is a founding member in progressive bluegrass band MilkDrive (2009-Current). He was a member of Asleep at the Wheel (Austin, TX) for 8 years, playing fiddle, mandolin, and vocals, and retired from the Wheel in late 2022 to focus on building his co-founded company, Ludiker House. He has been touring internationally since 2002, and has released a Texas fiddle record, aptly named, “The Texas Fiddle Album.”
Between touring and recording, Dennis has won the Texas State Fiddle Championship five times (2008, 2009, 2012, 2019, 2024), the Tennessee State Old-Time Fiddler Championship (2020), the World Championship Fiddle Contest in Crockett (2010), the Winfield Fiddle Championship (2002), the RockyGrass Mandolin Championship (2009), and the Online National Fiddle Championship (2020). In 2023, Dennis placed first in the National Swing Division at Weiser, and first in the Montana State Fiddle Contest.
His recording credits include recording with Lloyd Maines for many Texas artists (Rodger Creager, Robert Earl Keen, and more), The Deer, The Shootouts, Cactus Lee, Ray Benson’s solo album, as well as playing and/or recording with Willie Nelson, George Strait, Paul Simon, James Taylor, The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lyle Lovett, and many more world-renowned artists.
He currently lives in Austin, TX with his partner Kaylee.