Michael Cleveland (born September 18, 1980) is an American bluegrass

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

player.

Early life

Cleveland was born in

Henryville, Indiana Henryville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Monroe Township, Clark County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,905 at the 2010 census. Henryville is home to Indiana's oldest state forest, Clark State Forest, and birthpl ...

. He was born completely blind and a childhood ear infection caused him to lose 80% of his hearing in one ear. He first learned to play violin at a local Suzuki program when he was 4 years old. His skill was recognized at an early age, with appearances on the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...

and before the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

in his early teens. After graduating from the Kentucky School for the Blind he performed with various musicians including

Dale Ann Bradley Dale Ann Bradley is an American bluegrass musician. She is a six-time (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2021) Female Bluegrass Vocalist of the Year, a distinction given by the International Bluegrass Music Association. She has released music bo ...

and

Rhonda Vincent Rhonda Lea Vincent (born July 13, 1962) is an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Vincent's music career began when she was a child in her family's band The Sally Mountain Show, and it has spanned more than four de ...

. He currently lives in

Charlestown, Indiana Charlestown is a city located within Charlestown Township, in Clark County, Indiana, United States. The population was 7,775 at the 2020 census. History Charlestown was established in 1808, named after one of its surveyors, Charles Beggs, upon ...

Awards

His first solo project on

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

, ''Fire Holder'', won the International Rock Music Association Instrumental Album of the Decade in 2003, and he shared the same award with Ben Jameson in 2005 for ''Tom Adams and Michael Cleveland Live at the Ragged Edge.'' His third award came for his 2006 album ''Let 'Er Go, Boys!''. Cleveland won the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Awards) 2015 Fiddle Player of the Year and the 2010 Instrumental Group of the Year with his band Flamekeeper, for the third year. Cleveland had previously won Fiddle Player of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2018 Cleveland was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Bluegrass Album for his solo album, ''Fiddler's Dream''. Two years later, he won in the same category with his album ''Tall Fiddler''. He is a recipient of a 2022

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Touring

In 2007, Cleveland and his band Flamekeeper entertained as part of the Bluegrass Sundays Winter Concert Series in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. The group performed at the Sally Creek Music Festival in

Thames Centre Thames Centre is a municipality in Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada, directly east of the City of London. It was formed on January 1, 2001, when the townships of West Nissouri and North Dorchester were amalgamated. It is part of the London censu ...

, Ontario, in July, 2010. In 2022, Cleveland joined

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

's touring band for My Bluegrass Heart. https://www.belafleck.com/collaborations/bela-fleck-my-bluegrass-heart

Discography

Solo albums

* ''Sawing On The C String'' (self released) 1998 * ''Flame Keeper'' ounder Records2002 * ''Let Er Go Boys'' (Rounder Records) 2006 * ''Fiddler's Dream'' (Compass Records) 2016 * ''Tall Fiddler'' (Compass Records) 2019

With Tom Adams

* ''Live at the Ragged Edge'' (Rounder Records) 2004

Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper

* ''Leavin' Town'' (Rounder Records) 2008 * ''Fired Up'' (Rounder Records) 2011 * ''On Down The Line'' (Compass Records) 2014

References

External links

Official website
Living people American bluegrass fiddlers People from Henryville, Indiana Rounder Records artists 1980 births Country musicians from Indiana Blind people from the United States People from Charlestown, Indiana Blind musicians 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American violinists 21st-century American male musicians National Heritage Fellowship winners {{LouisvilleMSA-stub