The Cork n’Bottle String Band of Madison, Wisconsin was formed in 1996 by like-minded bluegrass enthusiasts.  The band took its name from the Cork n’Bottle liquor store on East Johnson St, where many of the band members worked and where the group practiced.

In May of 1996 the band moved its practices to a sleepy tavern called Ken’s Bar, just off the Capitol Square on Butler Street.  The band played 6pm to 9pm at Ken’s Bar every Wednesday night from May of 1996 until November of 2002 when the bar was torn down.

After a series of downtown taverns the band found a new home, and currently resides on the campus of the University of Wisconsin at the Memorial Union Rathskellar and Terrace.

The band celebrates 11 years of weekly Madison gigs in May of 2007.