The world of bluegrass music is abuzz as two of the genre’s most acclaimed fiddlers, Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland, prepare to release their long-awaited collaborative album, Carter & Cleveland, on March 14, 2025, via Fiddle Man Records. Fans can now pre-save the album and enjoy the latest single, a spirited interpretation of John Hartford’s “With a Vamp in the Middle,” available on all streaming platforms and radio.
Carter & Cleveland builds on the duo’s more than 30 years of friendship, a natural culmination of their frequent musical cross-pollinations and collaborations over that time. They first met as teenagers—Cleveland was 13 and Carter was 19—and they were already mutual admirers of the skill, musicality, reverence for tradition, and unique fiddle fire they each heard in the other’s playing.
“When I first heard Michael, I was blown away,” Carter recalls. “He sounded as good as anyone out there, even back then.”
As they each grew and developed as pickers and musicians, they continued to cross paths at many junctures—festivals, co-bills, conferences—in Indiana, Nashville, Kentucky, and beyond. They’d perform together as a special feature with Del McCoury, or Carter would jump on stage with Cleveland’s band, Flamekeeper. Though they rarely had time to rehearse material or build repertoire, the two always had an ease and comfort making music together, even off the cuff, pulling their bows in perfect synchronicity. They speak about their remarkably complementary styles the way family bands talk about singing harmony—there’s something magical and telepathic about their connection.
“Twin fiddle is like really good vocal harmony when it’s right,” Cleveland explains. “When it’s super tight and together, there’s nothing else like it. It’s like our own brother duet.”
Carter & Cleveland is chock-full of this particular brand of brotherly fiddle synergy, built around their one-of-a-kind, effortless blend. Across its 11 tracks, there’s bluegrass, fiddle tune standards, rip-roaring alt-country, and endlessly rich and lush double- and triple-stop harmonies.
Carter’s delicious and honeyed baritone vocals anchor quite a few numbers, including the album’s first single, “Give It Away,” written by Tim O'Brien and Matt Combs, which climbed to the #1 spot on Bluegrass Today’s Top 30 Songs chart. The song was propelled by a show-stopping debut at the Grand Ole Opry that earned two standing ovations and inspired an exclusive mini-documentary produced by the Opry.
Watch the "Give It Away" Mini-Documentary
Equally impressive is “Outrun the Rain,” penned by Terry Herd and Jimmy Yeary—another #1 for the fiddle duo—a slow burner dripping with loneliness, featuring guest vocals by Vince Gill and Jaelee Roberts.
There are classic instrumentals, of course, with Carter and Cleveland sawing on mouthwatering twin fiddle on tracks like “Kern County Breakdown,” a reimagined staple of guitar-picking country, and “Bluegrass in the Backwoods” and “Stoney Lonesome,” pulled directly from the great bluegrass fiddle songbook. String band music is just the beginning, though, as there are plenty of Americana, country, and “grassicana” moments as well. “Middle of Middle Tennessee,” written by Darrell Scott, is an alt-country banger with tinges of Southern rock, propelled—like all great country tunes—by driving, superlative bluegrass fiddling.
Beyond the duo’s masterful fiddling, the album features an all-star lineup of collaborators, including Gill, Roberts, Scott, Sam Bush, The Del McCoury Band, Charlie Worsham, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Jeff White, and more, backed by session greats such as Cody Kilby, Bryan Sutton, Alan Bartram, Harry Clark, Casey Campbell, Cory Walker, Dominick Leslie, David Grier, Justin Moses, and Jordan Perlson.
Cleveland describes the project as a personal milestone: “I’ve always admired Jason’s playing, and creating this album together is a dream come true.” Carter echoes the sentiment: “Michael’s been an inspiration since I first met him. Fans will definitely feel the magic we’ve poured into this album.” Carter & Cleveland is certainly poised to land right alongside the indispensable records in bluegrass history books and in the hearts of its listeners.
Carter & Cleveland will be released on March 14 via Fiddle Man Records. Fans can pre-order the album now and stream the captivating single, “With a Vamp in the Middle,” available on all major platforms. For more information, visit JasonCarterFiddle.com and MichaelClevelandFiddle.com.
Carter & Cleveland Track List
Give It Away (featuring Sam Bush)
Kern County Breakdown
With a Vamp in the Middle (featuring Darrell Scott)
Runnin’ Late (featuring Jerry Douglas)
Dreams (featuring The Del McCoury Band)
Outrun the Rain (featuring Vince Gill and Jaelee Roberts)
Stoney Lonesome (featuring The Del McCoury Band)
Middle of Middle Tennessee (featuring Charlie Worsham)
Arapahoe
Fiddler Jones (featuring Jeff White)
Bluegrass in the Backwoods
Produced by Michael Cleveland and Jason Carter
About Jason Carter
For over three decades, Jason Carter has been a cornerstone of the bluegrass world, serving as the fiddler for the renowned Del McCoury Band and as co-founder of the Travelin’ McCourys. Throughout his career, Carter's talent has garnered widespread recognition, including three GRAMMY® Awards and six International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Fiddle Player of the Year accolades. Notably, his recording of "Kissimmee Kid" from his album Lowdown Hoedown earned him the IBMA’s Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year award. Beyond his work with Del McCoury and the Travelin' McCourys, Carter's fiddling has graced albums by an impressive array of artists, including Steve Earle, Ricky Skaggs, Dierks Bentley, and Billy Strings, among others. His contributions to the genre were further immortalized in 2015 when his name was added to The Country Music Highway in Eastern Kentucky, alongside legends like Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, and Chris Stapleton.
About Michael Cleveland
Michael Cleveland began playing professionally after graduating from high school, performing with Dale Ann Bradley and Rhonda Vincent. In 2006, he formed Flamekeeper—seven-time recipients of the IBMA’s Instrumental Group of the Year award—featuring Josh Richards, Nathan Livers, Jasiah Shrode, and Chris Douglas. In addition to touring with his band, Cleveland has performed with an impressive roster of legendary musicians, including Béla Fleck, Tommy Emmanuel, Billy Strings, and Vince Gill. Widely considered the bluegrass fiddler of his generation, Cleveland has been recognized 12 times as the IBMA’s Fiddle Player of the Year and, in 2018, was inducted into the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame. He is a three-time GRAMMY® nominee and won in 2019 for Best Bluegrass Album for Tall Fiddler. That same year, Cleveland’s inspiring life of adversity and achievement was featured in the documentary film Flamekeeper: The Michael Cleveland Story. In 2022, he was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship.
