Self-taught bluegrass fiddler Jim VanCleve was born and raised in Florida, where his interest in bluegrass first blossomed. His family's move to North Carolina then placed VanCleve in the very heart of string band country, and by his teens he was gigging regularly as a fiddler. VanCleve was only 18 years old when he joined Rambler's Choice in 1998. The group put out its only album, Sounds of the Mountains, on Rounder Records that same year, after which VanCleve left to work with Doyle Lawson Quicksilver. He next joined forces with two other alumni of Quicksilver, Barry Abernathy and Steve Gulley, to form Mountain Heart, along with Alan Perdue and Johnny Dowdle. Mountain Heart released a self-titled album in 1999, and followed it with 2000's gospel-tinged The Journey, 2002's No Other Way, 2004's Force of Nature, and 2006's Wide Open. In 2007 VanCleve released his debut solo album (which included musical contributions from Mountain Heart members), No Apologies, on Rural Rhythm Records. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi