In the world of music, everyone’s heard
of the Grammys, but do you know what
the Nammys or Izzys are? If you don’t
listen to Native American music, you
probably don’t, but the Nammys are the
Native American Music Awards, and the
Izzys are the Indian Summer Music
Awards. The Nammys were just handed
out for 2007, and one artist, nominated in
four categories, took top honors when
he got Artist of the Year.
Arvel Bird, the musician in question, is a
unique recording artist with a flawless
talent and a passion to inspire his
audiences. He uses his mixed heritage –
his mother is Southern Paiute and his
dad’s family came from Scotland – to full
advantage to create a repertoire like
none before. His music is so universally
appealing that no matter what style of
music you enjoy listening to, from
classical, New Age, folk, country, and
Celtic, to Native American, bluegrass,
fusion, jazz, or blues, you’ll find it all, and
more, in Arvel’s work.
He’s a charismatic performer and
expressive storyteller, too. All of his
songs have meanings and messages,
and when you see him perform live he
tells their tales before he plays them.
The stories are compelling and give
vision to the music. He speaks of Native
American wisdom, covering subjects
such as the earth we all live on, and the
animals we share it with. Other pieces
include accounts of Native American
history and traditions, some of which
have great relevance for today. No
matter whether you hear him perform as
a solo act, or with the bands One Nation
and Ananeah, you’re guaranteed to have
a good time, feel better, and definitely
learn something new.
Arvel’s unique style of music helped him
rise to the top of his musical world, and
in addition to winning his Nammy this
year, just a few weeks later he took
home the award for Best Instrumental
Album (for his signature Animal Totems
CD) at the Canadian Aboriginal Music
Awards in Toronto. These distinguished
accolades have been the crowning glory
to a career that began when he was just
a nine-year-old boy who turned to the
violin to help him through some hard
family times.
Raised in a Mormon family, Arvel’s mom
had told him nothing about his Native
American heritage. She herself had
denied and rejected it just to survive
growing up at a time of great prejudice.
Although his parents were high school
sweethearts, Arvel’s dad had a temper,
made worse by the fact that he never felt
he was good enough for his wife. She
was never accepted by his parents,
either. There were many arguments, and
as a little boy Arvel always felt that he
was treading on eggshells at home. He
was small for his age, had low self-
esteem, lacked confidence, and was
terribly shy and introverted.
But there was one wonderful thing in the
house – music! His parents both loved to
dance, and encouraged their children to
learn to play instruments. He had the use
of a fiddle, and even though Arvel
wanted to play the trumpet, he took to
the violin. It became his refuge; he could
retreat to his room to practice and
escape into a fantasy world away from
the struggles of his family.
As well as his difficult home life, Arvel
had more obstacles to overcome. His
confidence took another hit when
teachers at school, and later professors
at university (he won a music
scholarship to Arizona State), told him he
wasn’t good enough. It left him feeling
deflated and totally discouraged. If it
hadn’t been for one guiding light, a
private music teacher in Salt Lake City
who Arvel studied under for a while, it
might have all ended for him right then
and there.
Her encouragement early on in his
training taught Arvel to never give up.
So he took his destiny into his own
hands, ditched his university education,
and sought out world-renowned
Hungarian violinist Paul Roland at the
University of Illinois. After several years
with the master, Arvel found the
confidence that had been missing all his
life. Armed with the burning desire to
prove everyone wrong, he set about to
perfect his craft, learn what music really
meant to him, and become a successful
musician. He had discovered other
styles of fiddling while he 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. He
vowed that this would be his mission,
too.
After many years of hard work learning
and practicing new styles, and following
the music wherever it led him, Arvel met
Glen Campbell in 1986 and toured with
him both at home and abroad for almost
six years. He moved to Nashville in 1991
looking for further opportunities, and
toured with new artists and such great
country legends as Loretta Lynn, Ray
Price, Louise Mandrell, Clay Walker, Tom
T. Hall, Ray Price, and others. He built
and operated a recording studio and
produced and engineered music for
clients all over the world.
He was having the time of his life, but
something nagged at him. Despite all the
fun and excitement, Arvel knew that
what he really wanted to do was record
and perform his own music. So in 2001
he put everything on the line by selling
his home and his recording studio,
bought a motor coach, and took to the
road to prove himself as a solo artist.
The gamble paid off. He now has eleven
CDs of his own music under his belt,
along with one DVD. Early albums earned
several music award nominations, and in
2006 two of them struck gold in the
Nammys and Izzys in the Best
Instrumental categories. Then, in 2007,
he got the biggest prize of all when he
became Artist of the Year in the Nammys,
shortly followed by his Canadian honor.
They were hard-earned and well
deserved.
Considered to be one of the hottest
Native American artists on tour today,
where does our “Lord of the Strings” go
from here? As well as continuing to tour,
Arvel has his sights set on a Grammy. He’
s currently working on a new solo CD
(after two collaborations); one which he
thinks will be life-defining for him. Its
working title is Tribal Music Suite, and he’
s employing the skills of Grammy-
winning producer Tom Wasinger for it.
He’d also like to write more scores for
films and documentaries, something he
has had some success with.
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’s constantly on the road performing
and making media appearances in towns
up and down the country. So watch out!
The artist that could be described as
“the best performer you don’t yet know
about” is headed your way. Check out
www.arvelbird.com and www.myspace.
com/arvelbird for more information,
audio clips, a discography, and an up-to-
date tour list. Better still, go and see him
live – you’ll be glad you did!
His music can be purchased directly
from singingwolfrecords.com, arvelbird.
com, amazon.com, cdbaby.com, and
downloaded from a myriad of music sites
such as itunes.com, mp3.com, emusic.
com, and myspace.com/arvelbird.
Borders Books and independent music
stores also carry it.
of the Grammys, but do you know what
the Nammys or Izzys are? If you don’t
listen to Native American music, you
probably don’t, but the Nammys are the
Native American Music Awards, and the
Izzys are the Indian Summer Music
Awards. The Nammys were just handed
out for 2007, and one artist, nominated in
four categories, took top honors when
he got Artist of the Year.
Arvel Bird, the musician in question, is a
unique recording artist with a flawless
talent and a passion to inspire his
audiences. He uses his mixed heritage –
his mother is Southern Paiute and his
dad’s family came from Scotland – to full
advantage to create a repertoire like
none before. His music is so universally
appealing that no matter what style of
music you enjoy listening to, from
classical, New Age, folk, country, and
Celtic, to Native American, bluegrass,
fusion, jazz, or blues, you’ll find it all, and
more, in Arvel’s work.
He’s a charismatic performer and
expressive storyteller, too. All of his
songs have meanings and messages,
and when you see him perform live he
tells their tales before he plays them.
The stories are compelling and give
vision to the music. He speaks of Native
American wisdom, covering subjects
such as the earth we all live on, and the
animals we share it with. Other pieces
include accounts of Native American
history and traditions, some of which
have great relevance for today. No
matter whether you hear him perform as
a solo act, or with the bands One Nation
and Ananeah, you’re guaranteed to have
a good time, feel better, and definitely
learn something new.
Arvel’s unique style of music helped him
rise to the top of his musical world, and
in addition to winning his Nammy this
year, just a few weeks later he took
home the award for Best Instrumental
Album (for his signature Animal Totems
CD) at the Canadian Aboriginal Music
Awards in Toronto. These distinguished
accolades have been the crowning glory
to a career that began when he was just
a nine-year-old boy who turned to the
violin to help him through some hard
family times.
Raised in a Mormon family, Arvel’s mom
had told him nothing about his Native
American heritage. She herself had
denied and rejected it just to survive
growing up at a time of great prejudice.
Although his parents were high school
sweethearts, Arvel’s dad had a temper,
made worse by the fact that he never felt
he was good enough for his wife. She
was never accepted by his parents,
either. There were many arguments, and
as a little boy Arvel always felt that he
was treading on eggshells at home. He
was small for his age, had low self-
esteem, lacked confidence, and was
terribly shy and introverted.
But there was one wonderful thing in the
house – music! His parents both loved to
dance, and encouraged their children to
learn to play instruments. He had the use
of a fiddle, and even though Arvel
wanted to play the trumpet, he took to
the violin. It became his refuge; he could
retreat to his room to practice and
escape into a fantasy world away from
the struggles of his family.
As well as his difficult home life, Arvel
had more obstacles to overcome. His
confidence took another hit when
teachers at school, and later professors
at university (he won a music
scholarship to Arizona State), told him he
wasn’t good enough. It left him feeling
deflated and totally discouraged. If it
hadn’t been for one guiding light, a
private music teacher in Salt Lake City
who Arvel studied under for a while, it
might have all ended for him right then
and there.
Her encouragement early on in his
training taught Arvel to never give up.
So he took his destiny into his own
hands, ditched his university education,
and sought out world-renowned
Hungarian violinist Paul Roland at the
University of Illinois. After several years
with the master, Arvel found the
confidence that had been missing all his
life. Armed with the burning desire to
prove everyone wrong, he set about to
perfect his craft, learn what music really
meant to him, and become a successful
musician. He had discovered other
styles of fiddling while he 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. He
vowed that this would be his mission,
too.
After many years of hard work learning
and practicing new styles, and following
the music wherever it led him, Arvel met
Glen Campbell in 1986 and toured with
him both at home and abroad for almost
six years. He moved to Nashville in 1991
looking for further opportunities, and
toured with new artists and such great
country legends as Loretta Lynn, Ray
Price, Louise Mandrell, Clay Walker, Tom
T. Hall, Ray Price, and others. He built
and operated a recording studio and
produced and engineered music for
clients all over the world.
He was having the time of his life, but
something nagged at him. Despite all the
fun and excitement, Arvel knew that
what he really wanted to do was record
and perform his own music. So in 2001
he put everything on the line by selling
his home and his recording studio,
bought a motor coach, and took to the
road to prove himself as a solo artist.
The gamble paid off. He now has eleven
CDs of his own music under his belt,
along with one DVD. Early albums earned
several music award nominations, and in
2006 two of them struck gold in the
Nammys and Izzys in the Best
Instrumental categories. Then, in 2007,
he got the biggest prize of all when he
became Artist of the Year in the Nammys,
shortly followed by his Canadian honor.
They were hard-earned and well
deserved.
Considered to be one of the hottest
Native American artists on tour today,
where does our “Lord of the Strings” go
from here? As well as continuing to tour,
Arvel has his sights set on a Grammy. He’
s currently working on a new solo CD
(after two collaborations); one which he
thinks will be life-defining for him. Its
working title is Tribal Music Suite, and he’
s employing the skills of Grammy-
winning producer Tom Wasinger for it.
He’d also like to write more scores for
films and documentaries, something he
has had some success with.
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’s constantly on the road performing
and making media appearances in towns
up and down the country. So watch out!
The artist that could be described as
“the best performer you don’t yet know
about” is headed your way. Check out
www.arvelbird.com and www.myspace.
com/arvelbird for more information,
audio clips, a discography, and an up-to-
date tour list. Better still, go and see him
live – you’ll be glad you did!
His music can be purchased directly
from singingwolfrecords.com, arvelbird.
com, amazon.com, cdbaby.com, and
downloaded from a myriad of music sites
such as itunes.com, mp3.com, emusic.
com, and myspace.com/arvelbird.
Borders Books and independent music
stores also carry it.
Arvel Bird - Special Musical Performer
(Friday, October 3, only)
(Friday, October 3, only)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
