Andrew Carlson is a

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. He began learning traditional fiddle music from his grandfather when he was five. He has won numerous fiddle contests including being named Georgia State Champion Fiddler twice and being named the 2000 Ohio Grand Champion fiddler. His book entitled ''A Guide to American Fiddling'' () was released by Mel Bay Publishers. As a studio musician and string arranger he has recorded for

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, Elektra, Geffen,

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States ...

, and Capricorn and with artists including

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She appeared many times on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'' starting in 1985 (season 10). In 1994 she won a Grammy Award f ...

, Billy Bragg, and the

Cowboy Junkies Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminse ...

. As a soloist, Carlson has performed with orchestras such as the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Referenced as a 'Demon Fiddler' in a 1998 New York Times Music Revie

Carlson received his MM and BMUS from the University of Georgia and his DMA in Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. He has served as a faculty member at

Morehead State University Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ...

, and served on the faculty of

Denison University Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...

through the 2017–2018 academic year. In 2000 Carlson started a Bluegrass program at

, and the university now allows music majors to have a concentration in Bluegrass. Carlson also has his own band, The Andy Carlson Band, that performs music ranging from traditional Old-Time Appalachian, Bluegrass, Swing, Blues, "New" Grass, Classical, and Contemporary Acoustic. With Carlson on Fiddle, the band includes Greg Earnest on Banjo, Casey Cook on

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, Michael Smith on Mandolin and Keith Morris on Bass all of whom are also members of the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

-based Bluegrass band The Dappled Grays.

Discography

The Andy Carlson Band - Fiddlehead (2010)The Andy Carlson Band - Log-A-Rhythm (2005)
*Andy Carlson - Beyond Boundaries (2002

*

- "

Electrolite "Electrolite" is a song by R.E.M. released as their third single and closing track from their tenth studio album, ''New Adventures in Hi-Fi''. The song is a piano-based ballad to Los Angeles, Hollywood icons and the closing 20th century. Initia ...

", from ''

New Adventures in Hi-Fi ''New Adventures in Hi-Fi'' is the tenth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was their fifth major-label release for Warner Bros. Records, released on September 9, 1996, in Europe and Australia, and the following day in ...

'' (1996

* Billy Bragg -"You Woke Up My Neighbourhood", from Don't Try This at Home (Billy Bragg album), Don't Try This At Home (1991

References

American fiddlers American male violinists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Denison University faculty 21st-century American violinists 21st-century American male musicians {{US-violinist-stub