Jim Van Cleve Biography
Jim Van Cleve is an American fiddle player. He plays in the popular Bluegrass band Mountain Heart. Van Cleve won several fiddle contests as a youth. While still in high school, Van Cleve became a member of Ric-o-chet and Lou Reid and Carolina, prominent bands in the national bluegrass scene at the time.
In 1997, Van Cleve got the call from bluegrass legend Doyle Lawson to join his group Quicksilver. Van Cleve quit college to become the band's new fiddle player.
In 1998, banjo player Barry Abernathy, singer/guitarist Steve Gulley, and Grammy-winning mandolinist (formerly of Alison Krauss and Union Station) Adam Steffey began plans to form a band. Van Cleve came on board and the band Mountain Heart was formed. Van Cleve has played a major role in the success and popularity of the band, as well as a driving force in creating more complex musical arrangements.
Jim has become a highly regarded and sought after producer in the world of Acoustic Music. He has produced such artists and recordings as Mountain Heart - Road That Never Ends (The Live Album), Carrie Hassler and Hard Rain, No Apologies (solo recording), NewFound Road, Clay Jones - Mountain Tradition, Theory of Acoustic Evolution (Various Artists/Borders Exclusive Title), Mashville Brigade, Broken Wire, and Darrell Webb.
On May 9, 2006, Van Cleve released his first solo recording, No Apologies. The album is a mix of traditional bluegrass and more experimental new acoustic and newgrass music. The album won rave reviews and an uncommon amount of press attention.
The Awards Nominations for "No Apologies" were many. The lead track, Nature of the Beast, was nominated for a GRAMMY in 2006 for "Best Country Instrumental Performance". The first single from the album, Let The Big Dog Eat, was the #1 Song in Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine for three months. The album topped out at #5 in the BillBoard Bluegrass Sales chart. The project won "Album of the Year" in the Folk category of the Indie Awards. The album was nominated for "Instrumental Project of the Year" in 2007 at the IBMA Awards. Jim was also nominated for "Fiddle Player of the Year" in 2007 for his work on "No Apologies", and the many other recordings he played a part in that year.
Van Cleve won several fiddle contests as a youth, including the Annual Galax, Virginia competition when he was 16. While still in high school, Van Cleve became a member of Lou Reid and Carolina, a prominent band in the national bluegrass scene at the time. On May 9, 2006, Van Cleve released his first solo recording, No Apologies. The album is a mix of traditional bluegrass and more experimental new acoustic and newgrass music.
