Katharine Whalen is an American musician, singer, and songwriter from Greenville, North Carolina. She co-founded the jazz band Squirrel Nut Zippers with her then-husband Jimbo Mathus in 1993, contributing vocals, banjo, and ukulele to their early albums such as The Inevitable (1995) and Hot (1996). After the group disbanded, Whalen released her debut solo album, Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad, in 1999. She later participated in Squirrel Nut Zippers' revival tours from 2007 to 2009 and became a member of various bands including Swedish Wood Patrol and Certain Seas. Notable releases include Dirty Little Secret (2006), To Hide a Heart That's Blue (2021) with her jazz squad, and collaborations such as Whaler's Ink (2014) with Brian Risk and Oh Sage Orange Egg (2024) with Certain Seas.
