Arvel Bird (Southern Paiute / Me'tis) is the 2007 Ninth Annual Native American Music Award (Nammy) Artist of the Year. He has 5 nominations in two Indigenous Canadian music awards organizations.
In early 2007 Arvel was voted Best Native American Male Performer on PowWows.com and in 2006 won a Nammy for Best Instrumental and an Indian Summer music Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental.
As an international recording artist, Arvel is widely regarded as one of the hottest Native artists on tour today.
Kimberly Kelley, who heads up his management team, attributes his popularity to, “. . . not only his rigorous touring and media schedule, but his incredible musicianship and easy going personality on stage and off.â€
Arvel was raised in Utah and Arizona where he began his 11 years of classical violin training. He attended Arizona State University on a music scholarship, later transferring to University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana to study with world-renowned Hungarian violin master, Paul Roland, whom Arvel credits with “taking me apart and putting me back together again.â€
For 11 years Arvel toured with some of the biggest names in country music -- Glen Campbell, Loretta Lynn, Clay Walker, Louise Mandrell, Tom T. Hall, Ray Price and others.
Now, however, his Southern Paiute and Scottish mixed-blood ancestry is the inspiration for his own unique style of music. Arvel has released eleven CDs and one DVD since 2001. Several of those albums have received nominations and have won awards from a variety of United States and Canadian music organizations.
As a sought-after collaborator, Arvel has recorded with Peter Kater, Joseph Firecrow, Jeff Ball, and Irene Bedard. "Ananeah" was created with Grammy nominees William Eaton, Mary Redhouse and Will Clipman.
Arvel Bird is signed to Singing Wolf Records in Nashville, TN. His music is available from Four Winds Trading Company, Drumbeat Indian Arts, New Leaf Distribution, Borders Books & Music Cafes, and other independent New Age and music stores. Music can be purchased directly from singingwolfrecords.com, arvelbird.com, amazon.com, cdbaby.com, and downloaded from itunes.com, mp3.com, emusic.com, myspace.com/arvelbird and a hundred other download sites.
