User:KimberKelley/sandbox

<!-- EDIT BELOW THIS LINE --Arvel Ellis Bird (born December 7, 1951 in Boise, Idaho) is a classically trained violinist and self-taught guitarist, fiddler, mandolin player, Native American flute player and Celtic whistle player.

Biography: Early Life: Arvel was born to Earl Ellis Bird, born in ________ and Laverna (Shamp) Bird born in Washington County, Utah. Arvel's father was a manager of a national chain of drug store based in Utah. At 9 years old, Arvel began violin lessons with an oversized violin made by German violin maker Joseph Smithbauer, originally given to Arvel's grandmother. His first teacher was Olea Kienke in Salt Lake City who introduced Arvel to the magic of the violin and music. She taught him that it didn't matter if he was the best or fastest violinist, ". . . people will remember your passion".

Arvel's father moved the family to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1967. Arvel graduated from Coronado High School in 1970 earning a music scholarship to Arizona State University. Although originally thrilled that he won the scholarship, he soon found out that they wanted him to become a music teach, not a performer, which was his dream. Disillusioned, he left college, his home and family to move to Champaigne-Urbana, Illinois to study with Hungarian Master Violinist Paul Rolland. He was confident in his technical skills and his knowledge of the violin, but he sought out a new teacher in order to become a more skilled performer.

After a year of lessons from Maestro Rolland, Arvel began learning other styles of fiddling including Celtic, Old Time, Bluegrass, Appalachian and Folk, and moved to Louisville, KY, Wheeling, WV, finally settling down in Ft. Wayne, IN, to front his own Arvel Bird Band for the next 8 years.

Arvel returned to Scottsdale in 198___ where he joined up with the Jeff Dayton Band which was later hired by Glen Campbell to tour with him. Arvel moved to Nashville, TN with his current wife, Kimberly Kelley, and continued with Glen Campbell until 1991. He set up his own recording studio, Brush Hill Studios, to record his own compositions and to earn income during the slower times while still touring with country artists Loretta Lynn, Louise Mandrell, Tom T. Hall, Ray Price, Clay Walker, and other new artists.

While in Nashville, Arvel was drawn to learn more about his American Indian and Scottish heritage. His mother, Laverna, was born near St. George, Utah, to a Southern Paiute mother and Welsh father. His father's family were descended from the Kennedys of Ayrshire, Scotland. Both of these bloodlines have informed Arvel's music since that time and have created a very unique genre for him. He brands himself a Celtic Indian as a result.

By 2004 Arvel began touring, performing his own music and performs approximately 160 shows each year mostly in the United States.

His early inspiration to cross-over into pop genres came from [|Stéphane Grappelli], [|Jean-Luc Ponty], Vassar Clements and [|Dave Swarbrick].

In 2001 Arvel founded Singing Wolf Records In 1997 in order to release his"Braveheart Meets Last of the Mohicans . . . at Woodstock" is a colorful description of this award-winning Celtic Indian Arvel Bird’s live performances. With his violin, fiddle, Native flutes and Irish whistles, Bird weaves a powerful tapestry of music and stories. He performs nearly 160 shows a year at a variety of venues from music festivals to concert halls where the audience gets a glimpse into his Native American heart and Scottish soul. Classically trained as a violinist, Arvel Bird's compositions and performances encompass an extraordinary love of diversity—from traditional Celtic tunes and bluegrass standards to his original Native American and Celtic rock orchestrations. In his youth, Bird’s first private violin teacher in Salt Lake City, UT encouraged him to play from his soul. Prophetically, she said, “Arvel, no one will remember if you’re the best or the fastest, but they will remember your passion.” Bird attended Arizona State University on music scholarship later transferring to Champagne/ Urbana, IL where he studied classical violin with renowned Hungarian violin master, Paul Rolland at the University of Illinois. Bird credits Mr. Rolland with perfecting his performance technique. As he worked to develop his own music style and a large and loyal following, Bird went wherever the music called him, which led him away from classical and towards Bluegrass, Appalachian, Folk and Celtic. During his years in the Midwest, Bird won the Indiana State Fiddle Contest four times while still perfecting a variety of musical styles. Bird returned to Arizona in 1986 and hired by Glen Campbell to tour worldwide for the next six years. In 1991, he continued to tour with Campbell and moved to Nashville, TN, later adding tours with Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, Ray Price, Louise Mandrell, Clay Walker, and others. Once he began composing and recording his own music, the result was a fusion of both his Scottish (Clan Kennedy) and Native American (Southern Paiute) roots that are uniquely his own and intricately woven throughout his songs. One of Bird's favorite aspects of touring is that it has taken him to Scotland, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and in prestigious locations including the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Royal Albert Hall in London, England, Smithsonian Museums in DC and NY, Hochstein Performance Hall in Rochester, NY and the Kennedy Space Center in Cocoa, FL just to name a few -- with symphonies, chamber orchestras, large festivals and more, logging over 500,000 road miles. As he winds begins his 12th year of full-time touring, Bird gives no indication he’s ready to slow down. In fact, later this year, he will be making his debut in Scandanavia for a two week tour. Bird has released 23 CDs, two EPs and two DVDs, earning him numerous music awards. One of his most cherished is for his classical recording, Tribal Music Suite: Journey of a Paiute, a Celtic and Native American concerto, that earned him Best Instrumental Album and Best Producer/Engineer (with Grammy-winning producer Tom Wasinger and Nashville engineer Chas Williams) at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. Other awards include Artist of the Year as voted by peers and fans as well as numerous Best Instrumentals. His continuously evolving music is delighting audiences worldwide. 2015 will see the release of two more CDs, Animal Totems 3, a world music CD and Celtic Indian, both long awaited albums. During his 13 years in Nashville, Bird built a master recording studio to help him launch his own independent record label, Singing Wolf Records, to support most of his future recordings. Initially this gave him his own haven to write and record his original music and later to record hundreds of songs and album projects for songwriters and independent artists all over the world. Although based in Nashville, TN, Bird is permanently on the road, connecting with audiences the old-fashioned way. . . live. This is where Arvel’s emotionally driven performances thrive, igniting concert venues, symphony halls, festivals and more, leaving his audiences inspired, transfixed and transformed.