Arvel Bird

From Little Boy Dreams to “Lord of the Strings”

(Word Count 8,806 with spaces)

In the fast-paced, crazy world we all live in today, everyone needs to find ways to unwind and chill out. Some of us turn to exercise, and that does indeed calm the nerves, while others pursue hobbies, go to parties, or flop on the couch and watch TV. But the one pastime that has been soothing souls for centuries is music.

Classical, New Age, folk, country, Celtic, Native American, fusion, jazz, blues – you name it, there’s a style out there that can help any of us relax. Just take your pick, or mix them up a bit. Talking of which, what if you could find one artist who embodies all of the above rolled into one perfect package?

If you’ve never heard of him you’re certainly in for a treat when you hear violin virtuoso Arvel Bird take center stage – whether it’s in your living room, your car, or live on stage, this natural performer will blow you away with his unique and flawless talent. And while he’s very well known, respected, and awarded for his work in the Native American and country music worlds, he’s not so recognized outside of those arenas. Of course, his team is hoping to change that.

So who is Arvel Bird? Today’s master of the fiddle grew up in Utah. His mother came from a long line of Southern Paiute Indians, although she had been raised a Mormon and rejected her ancestry. Arvel’s dad was Scottish, and also a Mormon. While the fiddle is Arvel’s key instrument, he also has a gift with the Native American flute. His mixed heritage influences his music at every turn, and gives him a voice like none before.

Arvel himself describes it best: “I never wrote just one type of music, it always felt like a blend of all the styles that I love. A recurring feeling that permeates every piece I write can only be described as ‘tribal.’”

However, the Native American influence that weaves through his work doesn’t dominate it. If you like classical music, you’ll love Arvel. If country’s your bag, you can’t go wrong. Bluegrass? Boogie on down. Like to mellow out with some fusion and jazz? You’ve come to the right place. And on and on it goes. There’s something for everyone.

He’s a great storyteller, too. Many of his songs convey messages about the earth and the animals that we share it with. Others offer insightful accounts of Native American history and ways, some of which have great relevance for today. When you hear him live he tells these tales before he plays the songs – they enhance the music and are entrancing and compulsive. So much so that his Arvel Bird LIVE! CD came out as a result of audiences demanding an album with his stories recorded. He can also match any of our moods. Some of his fiddle jigs are so lively you’ll be on your feet dancing before you know it; while other pieces are so hauntingly peaceful you could meditate to them.

But while we can sit back and admire what Arvel is today, getting to this point did not come easy. He faced many challenges in his formative years – his family was dysfunctional and he had little self-esteem. But he found an escape in music. His siblings all played instruments, and he was lucky enough to have use of a fiddle. He took an interest in the instrument and showed early promise, but suffered repeated setbacks at school and university when teachers and professors told him he wasn’t good enough. Their lack of foresight left Arvel feeling deflated and totally discouraged: “The very people who should have nurtured my dreams let me down,” he says.

One bright light shined for him though. A private teacher in Salt Lake City saw his potential and encouraged him. Arvel says he’ll never forget her: “Ms. Kinke was in such high demand that I had to pass an audition just to take lessons with her. She told my parents that I had talent, and obviously saw something that I didn’t – but I knew even then that I had the desire. She brought the magic of music to life for me. She also taught me about life and living, self-confidence, poise, walking, smiling, presentation, and, of course, performance. She told me that I didn’t have to be the best, but that if I played with passion people would respond to that and remember me.” Arvel never looked back, and her words are still serving him well.

Taking his future into his own hands, and leaving everything he knew behind him, Arvel then sought out renowned Hungarian violinist Paul Roland at the University of Illinois. He blossomed under the professor’s tutorage, and Arvel credits him with “taking me apart and putting me back together again.” With a new-found confidence, and burning with the desire to succeed to prove everyone wrong, he threw himself into perfecting his craft. Other styles of fiddling became popular while Arvel was in the Midwest, including Appalachian, bluegrass, and Celtic. He not only loved the music, but was also transfixed by the artists’ abilities to play so passionately that they excited their audience. Remembering Ms. Kinke’s words, he vowed that this was going to be his mission.

Over the next twelve years, he followed the music wherever it led him – folk in Kentucky, bluegrass in West Virginia, and country in Indiana. But Arvel was destined for bigger things, and by 1986 he had met Glen Campbell, joined his band, and began touring with him – a job he kept for almost six years.

In 1991 he moved to Nashville to find further opportunities, learning and practicing other styles of music such as jazz and New Age. He met and toured with new artists on Curb Records, Arista, and MCA Records, as well as such great country legends as Loretta Lynn, Ray Price, and Louise Mandrell. He built and operated a recording studio, engineering and producing thousands of songs and hundreds of albums for clients internationally.

But as much as this was exciting and fun for a young musician, Arvel’s real dream was to record and perform his own music. Contrary to Nashville’s view of the fiddle as a backup or side musician’s instrument, he had always believed that it could be the lead: “This just increased my desire to write and record instrumental music that featured the violin,” he says. By 2001 he began to make his dream a reality when he left Nashville to prove himself as a solo artist. He put everything on the line by selling his home and recording studio, buying a motor coach, and touring both nationally and internationally.

The gamble paid off. Within six years he had made eleven CDs of his own music and one DVD. Early CDs earned several music award nominations, and in 2006 two of these albums – Arvel Bird LIVE! and Animal Totems 2 – won trophies from the Native American Music Awards (Nammys) and The Indian Summer Music Awards (Izzys) in the Best Instrumental categories.

On October 6, 2007, at an exciting ceremony in Niagara Falls, New York, our “Lord of the Strings” won the coveted Artist of the Year title at the Nammys. The award was hard-earned and well deserved, and Arvel was ecstatic to get it: “I couldn’t feel more honored to have been voted Artist of the Year by the public AND the Advisory Board,” he said. “Last year I fulfilled another dream when I performed at the Nammys and won my first NAMA award, but this trumps even that! I’ve known for a long time that I have the best fans any artist could have, and I am so thankful.” Kimberly Kelley, who heads his management team, says: “His popularity comes not only from his full-time touring and media schedule, but also from his incredible musicianship and easy-going manner on and off the stage.”

Considered to be one of the hottest Native artists on tour today, with nominations for other awards all over the indigenous music world, where does he go from here?

“Anywhere I want,” says Arvel. “I’d like to write more music for movies and documentaries, having had success with Shiloh Mounds, Indian Sacred Places, The Sacred Prostitute, and others. I’m going after a Grammy, too! I’m hoping to win one for my latest CD. Its working title is Tribal Music Suite, and I feel it will be a life-defining musical work for me. Grammy winner Tom Wasinger is producing it. My last two albums were collaborations, so I wanted to do another solo CD. It creeps me out, looking back, to think about what might have happened if I’d listened to all those teachers who underestimated the power of my dream. I don’t think I’ll ever run out of music to write. It’s not just what I do – it’s who I am.”

Arvel Bird is signed to Singing Wolf Records in Nashville. He is also the lead instrumentalist in the band One Nation, and plays with New Age group Ananeah. He is constantly on the road performing and making media appearances in towns up and down the country. Check out www.arvelbird.com and www.myspace.com/arvelbird for more information, sound clips, a discography, and an up-to-date tour list. Better still, go and see him live. You’ll be glad you did.