Since he was young, however, Cleveland had dreamed of leading his own band. Cleveland’s repertoire and musicianship grew, and in 1993 he played the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards show with the Bluegrass Youth All-Stars.Ĭleveland began playing professionally after he graduated from high school, first with Jeff White and later with Dale Ann Bradley and Rhonda Vincent. Samuelson curated several Braille-labeled tapes for the young musician, which served as Cleveland’s essential listening guide to bluegrass music. When Cleveland was 12, he met music historian Dave Samuelson, who recognized the young musician’s interest and talent.

At the age of nine, Cleveland got to play with Monroe-himself a recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship in the inaugural class of 1982-at the festival. Traveling with his grandparents to area bluegrass festivals, he heard many legendary players perform at Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, Indiana. While he practiced the violin at school, he played fiddle at home. He attended the Kentucky School for the Blind in Louisville, where he learned the Suzuki method of violin. His grandparents hosted regular bluegrass gatherings at the American Legion, and at age four, he began playing the fiddle. With an encyclopedic memory for melodies, and an uncanny intuition for improvisation, Cleveland’s music is both rooted in tradition and fueled by his melodic imagination.įrom an early age, Cleveland heard old-time and bluegrass music at local jams and festivals near his hometown of Henryville, Indiana. Cleveland’s improvisational versions push the piece’s descriptive tones and percussive bowing to a new level. As a boy, Cleveland heard a local fiddler play “Orange Blossom Special,” which sparked a lifelong obsession with the tune that mimics that sound of a train. The tension between tradition and innovation is at the core of bluegrass music, and the fiddle playing of Michael Cleveland exemplifies this musical tug of war.

Tim obrien talks doc watson