Chancey Williams believes that the fiddle is the No. 1 sound in country music.
“I grew up listening to ’90s country music, and they had fiddle all over it,” Williams, Wyoming’s homegrown country music star, said. “It takes all of us, but the fiddle playing is a feature that everybody notices.”
Williams said that from the early 2000s into the 2010s, most country bands had moved away from the fiddle, but he was determined that it was going to be an important part of his sound.
In 2008, Williams had just recorded his first album in Nashville. Since the studio music featured fiddles, Williams needed a fiddler to join the band for live concerts. That was when he met Brooke Latka in Casper at the College National Finals Rodeo.
She was a classically trained musician playing in a bluegrass band, Silhouettes of the West, and when she learned he was looking for a fiddle player she invited him to come see her play that night.
“I had heard of Chancey Williams and his band for years and knew they were doing big things in Wyoming, but I never imagined I would one day be part of it,” Latka said.
Chancey Williams and his band are releasing a new song in March. Brooke Latka has played the fiddle for the band for the past 17 years adding what Williams said is one of the most important sounds to their music. (Courtesy Brooke Latka) 
Chancey Williams and his band are releasing a new song in March. Brooke Latka has played the fiddle for the band for the past 17 years adding what Williams said is one of the most important sounds to their music. (Courtesy Brooke Latka) 
Classically trained violinist Brooke Latka began playing the fiddle in college and fell in love with its personality. She now plays with Chancey Williams and his band, adding her own unique flair. (Courtesy Brooke Latka) 
Brooke Latka has played her fiddle at the Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry as part of Chancey Williams and his band. (Courtesy Brooke Latka) 
Brooke Latka has played her fiddle at the Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry as part of Chancey Williams and his band. (Courtesy Brooke Latka)
Live Audition
After watching her perform, Williams asked her if she would play a show with his band in Casper.
Latka had nearly two weeks to prepare and learn the songs.
“The guys picked me up in Chancey’s old Chevy van, and from the moment I stepped inside, I felt welcomed,” Latka said. “They immediately made me laugh, and everything just felt easy and natural.”
Latka said that the first show was fun and that everything just clicked. That first live show was essentially her audition, and she has now been playing fiddle for Williams' band for the past 17 years.
“It felt like a chance to grow, challenge myself, and see where the music could take me,” Latka said. “Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.” Since that day in Casper, Latka has been the Rocky Mountain CMA Musician of the Year twice and played at Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry. This year, she was inducted into Kelly Walsh High School’s “Order of Troy” Hall of Fame.
The Road To Fiddling
When Latka first joined the band, having a female fiddle player in a country band was not very common. Williams said that it made their band stand out having a fiddler that was a woman.
“While fiddle has always had a strong place in country music, it was not as widely featured during that time, especially with women in that role,” Latka said. “It was something a little different, and I think audiences noticed that right away.”
Williams said that Latka’s music is a big part of the band’s sound along with guitarist Wyatt Springsteen.
“People love the energy the fiddle brings to country music,” Latka said. “It adds movement, personality, and a spark on stage.”
Latka also loves expressing herself through what she wears on stage.
“I tend to lean into fun, unique, sometimes sparkly pieces, and I think it adds a little extra light and contrast on stage alongside the guys,” Latka said. “It feels authentic to me.”
Brooke Latka has been playing the violin since she was seven years old and played in the high school orchestra in Casper. This love of music eventually led to a career as a fiddle player for Chancey Williams and his band. (Courtesy Brooke Latka) 
Brooke Latka has been playing the violin since she was seven years old and played in the high school orchestra in Casper. This love of music eventually led to a career as a fiddle player for Chancey Williams and his band. (Courtesy Brooke Latka) 
Chancey Williams was looking for a fiddle player to join his band when he met Brooke Latka in Casper at the College National Finals Rodeo in 2008. After watching her play, he invited her to audition by playing with them at a live show in the following weeks. 17 years later and she is still playing with the band. (Courtesy Brooke Latka) 
Before joining Chancey Williams and his band in 2008, Brooke Latka was a college student playing for a bluegrass band, Silhouettes of the West. (Courtesy Brooke Latka)
Classically Trained
Latka grew up in Casper in a family where music was always part of her home.
“Some of my earliest memories are of my dad playing The Beach Boys, The Beatles, or Mannheim Steamroller records in the living room while my sister and I danced around and climbed up on the hearth, pretending it was our stage,” Latka said. “We would sing for our parents, holding unplugged curling irons or hairbrushes as our microphones.”
Latka has loved music for as long as she can remember and would tag along to her older sister’s violin lessons with Becky Mothersbaugh, the concert mistress of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. By the time she was 7, Latka was taking her own lessons.
“Becky gave me a strong classical foundation and has played a huge role in shaping the musician I am today,” Latka said.
She played in the high school orchestra throughout her school years, including the All State and All Northwest orchestras.
“Even then, I found myself drawn to playing by ear and stepping away from strictly reading the page,” Latka said. “I could read music, but I loved exploring what I felt.”
She said she used to sit at the computer playing along to soundtracks and songs, just experimenting and having fun.
A Passion For Fiddles
Latka said that she was captivated by Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, especially watching the fiddle players alongside the Irish dancers. There was something about that energy on stage that drew her in.
“To me, the difference between violin and fiddle is not about one being better than the other,” Latka said. “They are simply different expressions of the same instrument.”
She explained that classical violin is more structured and precise, while fiddling gives you more room to play by feel and personality.
“I love being able to blend both,” Latka said. “My classical background gives me a strong foundation, and I bring that into my fiddling in a way that feels true to me.”
It was in college that Latka started leaning more toward fiddling. She had joined the local fiddle club and spent time sitting in circles with other musicians, learning fiddle tunes and playing by feel.
“I was never formally taught how to fiddle, but those experiences helped me grow in a new direction,” Latka said. “I also owe a great deal to Mike Martin, who took me under his wing and helped build my confidence as I stepped more into that style.”
In 2007, Latka joined an all-girl band called Silhouettes of the West alongside Cathy Becker. They performed around town at places like Metro Coffee Company and the Nicolaysen Art Museum. Latka credits those early performances in helping her grow as a musician and shaping the path to country music.
Brooke Latka was born and raised in Casper and classically trained as a violinist, but was drawn to the personality of country fiddle. For the past 17 years, she's been the fiddler for country music star Chancy Williams and his band. (Getty Images) 
Brooke Latka was born and raised in Casper and classically trained as a violinist, but was drawn to the personality of country fiddle. For the past 17 years, she's been the fiddler for country music star Chancy Williams and his band. (Getty Images) 
Brooke Latka was born and raised in Casper and classically trained as a violinist, but was drawn to the personality of country fiddle. For the past 17 years, she's been the fiddler for country music star Chancy Williams and his band. (Getty Images) 
Chancey Williams was looking for a fiddle player to join his band when he met Brooke Latka in Casper at the College National Finals Rodeo in 2008. After watching her play, he invited her to audition by playing with them at a live show in the following weeks. 17 years later and she is still playing with the band. (Courtesy Brooke Latka) 
Chancey Williams was looking for a fiddle player to join his band when he met Brooke Latka in Casper at the College National Finals Rodeo in 2008. After watching her play, he invited her to audition by playing with them at a live show in the following weeks. 17 years later and she is still playing with the band. (Courtesy Brooke Latka) 
Brooke Latka was classically trained as a violinist but loved the personality of the fiddle which had led her to a career of country music with Chancey Williams and his band. She has been named the Rocky Mountain CMA Musician of the Year twice. (Courtesy Brooke Latka)
Breaking New Horizons
Chancey Williams and his band had just finished recording a new album and he said that they would begin releasing their songs every six weeks, beginning on March 28. The fiddle is guaranteed to be a feature of the music.
“Our audiences are in for a real treat with the new music Chancey has been working on,” Latka said. “It is hard to pick just one favorite because he stays so true to himself as a writer, but one song that really stands out to me is Rodeo in the Rain.”
Latka said that anyone who has been to Cheyenne Frontier Days knows that rain, hail, and sudden storms are almost part of the tradition.
“The song captures that energy and unpredictability so well,” Latka said. “It has a driving, exciting feel, and I think our Wyoming fans especially are really going to connect with it.”
Latka said that what keeps her fiddling is her love for the music and the fact that she still feels an excitement whenever she picks up her fiddle.
“When I see young girls in the crowd watching, it reminds me why I do this. If my being up there, playing the fiddle and dressing in a way that feels true to me, encourages someone else to step outside their comfort zone, that means everything," Latka said. “I am grateful for the support, the prayers, and God’s guidance through it all.” Williams said that he is also grateful to have a fiddle player willing to join him on the road.
“To find a fiddle player that good from Casper was rare,” Williams said. “It was kind of meant to be.”
Contact Jackie Dorothy at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
