Artist Detail

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Arvel Bird

Musician - Singer - Storyteller

About the artist:

Widely considered to be one of the hottest Native American artists on tour today, Arvel Bird's lively and soulful performances will leave your audiences breathless. In addition to the heartful Native American drumming, storytelling, and flute music, the fine classical talents of the violin-playing Arvel Bird bring music ranging from Celtic to Boogie to Blues/Rock and Folk. His beautifully costumed performances are both athletic and electrifying. Born in Idaho and raised in Utah and Arizona, Arvel Bird showed early promise on the violin and attended Arizona State University, but his career involved jumping through many hoops to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician. His first private music teacher in Salt Lake City, Mrs. Olea Kienke, saw his potential and taught him to play with passion. She also brought the magic of music to life teaching Arvel about life, self-confidence, poise, walking, smiling, and presentation. As a college student, Arvel blossomed under the tutorship of renowned Hungarian violinist Paul Roland at the University of Illinois. Initially seeking a classical music career, he was drawn to and inspired by the Appalachian, Bluegrass and Celtic styles in the Midwest. Settling down in Ft. Wayne, Indiana allowed him to explore his own music style and a large and loyal following. In 1986 he joined Glen Campbell, touring worldwide with him for six years. In 1991, he moved to Nashville and continued touring with Loretta Lynn, Louise Mandrell, Clay Walker, and others. Although primarily an instrumentalist and storyteller, Arvel's performances also include songs he has written to express his own voice and personality. Most of his music reflects his dual heritage of Native American (Southern Paiute) and Scottish with stories to weave the magic and mystery of the two cultures. Since 2001, Arvel has released 15 CDs and 2 DVDs, earning him numerous music award nominations. Several CDs have struck gold with wins at the Native American Music Awards, Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards and Indian Summer Music Awards for "Artist of the Year", "Best Instrumentalist" and “Best Producer/Engineer”. His latest album was inspired by the Indian Motorcycle. "Ride Indian Ride", released in January 2010, is a departure from his more traditional cultural music, with an edgier blues/rock feel that blends his Native American/Celtic roots with a stronger, more soulful sound. Arvel sums it all up. “People say I never met a genre I didn’t like. They’re probably right!”