Biography
Self-taught bluegrass fiddler Jim VanCleve grew up in Florida, where his passion for the genre first took root. After his family relocated to North Carolina, he found himself immersed in string-band territory and began performing regularly on fiddle during his teenage years. At age 18 he became a member of Rambler's Choice in 1998; the band issued its sole release, Sounds of the Mountains, on Rounder Records that year, after which VanCleve departed to join Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. He later teamed with fellow Quicksilver veterans Barry Abernathy and Steve Gulley, plus Alan Perdue and Johnny Dowdle, to establish Mountain Heart. The ensemble delivered its self-titled debut in 1999, then continued with the gospel-tinged The Journey in 2000, No Other Way in 2002, Force of Nature in 2004, and Wide Open in 2006. VanCleve's first solo project, No Apologies, appeared on Rural Rhythm Records in 2007 and featured contributions from his Mountain Heart colleagues.
Albums