Carl Nelson
Musician · b. 1935 · Roanoke, Virginia
Best known for
Fiddle
Carl Nelson was a Virginia-born fiddler whose long association with Bill Harrell & The Virginians began in the late 1960s and continued into the 1970s and 80s — a Roanoke-area mainstay who also recorded with Bill Clifton, the Country Gentlemen, and the Seldom Scene.
- Born August 23, 1935 in Roanoke, Virginia; died November 1, 2006 at age 71 after a long battle with emphysema.
- Played fiddle and piano; began fiddle at 15 because his older brothers played guitar, mandolin, and banjo.
- U.S. Army veteran, stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma (1958–1959); recorded the fiddle showpiece "Orange Blossom Special" just before entering the Army.
- Long association with Bill Harrell & The Virginians, beginning in the late 1960s/early 1970s and rejoining Harrell in 1978.
- Recorded and performed with Bill Clifton, The Country Gentlemen, and The Seldom Scene.
- By 1980 was part of Bill Harrell's band alongside Larry Stephenson (mandolin), Darrell Sanders (banjo), and Ed Ferris (bass).
- Worked with country artists including Loretta Lynn, Mac Wiseman, Patsy Cline, Roy Clark, and Jimmy Dean over the course of his career.
- Recognized as one of the Washington, DC region's most accomplished bluegrass fiddlers.
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Bill Harrell and the VirginiansPlayed on recordings with Bill Harrell and the Virginians
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Bill HarrellPlayed on recording with Bill Harrell
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Hazel DickensPlayed on recording with Hazel Dickens