Michael Cleveland was born blind but he knew he was born to be a fiddler at four years old. Described as “untouchable” by Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill, Michael was awarded the 2020 GRAMMY for Best Bluegrass Album - Tall Fiddler, and is the IBMA’s most awarded Fiddle Player of the Year with 12 wins, has won Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year 6 times, and fronts their 6-Time Instrumental Group of the Year. In this episode:

• Determined to be a fiddler player after hearing “Orange Blossom Special” on the fiddle at four years old
• Learning to play at the Kentucky School of the Blind
• Finding and refining passion for the fiddle every single day as a child
• “When you go to the school of the blind, you’re nothing special because everyone else is visually impaired, too.”
• The Grand Ole Opry, his favorite spot that he played in as a teenager
• Forming the band, Michael Clevelend and Flamekeeper, with musicians he grew up playing with
• Grammy award, 12 time Fiddle Player of the Year, 6 time Instrumental Group of the Year
• How Michael is trying to transform the stigma of bluegrass music by blending it with other music varieties

You can learn more about Michael & Flamkeeper at flamekeeperband.com as well as MC Flamekeeper on Facebook and Instagram