Fred Carpenter

Fred Carpenter was born and raised in Maine, where he started classical violin lessons at the age of 7. At 17, he found his way into bluegrass fiddling through listening to and learning the tunes of Kenny Baker, Vassar Clements, Byron Berline and many more. Fred began entering national fiddle contests, placing 4th in The World Series of Fiddling in Texas, and 7th in the National Champion Division at Weiser, Idaho. He also competed in the Grand Masters in Nashville, TN. In 1980 Fred moved to California to join the Tony Rice Unit. During the next 3 years of touring, he recorded two albums with the group. While in California, Fred served a four year apprenticeship at Loveland Violin Shop, learning the proper methods of violin repair and set up and bow work. Fred left CA in 1985 to play fiddle for two years with the Dillard‘s. He then moved to Nashville and began touring with other well established artists. Over the next 4 years his schedule was filled with artists like Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Milsap, Suzi Bogguss, Paul Overstreet, and George Strait. In '88 Fred founded the Violin Shop of Nashville which provides a home base for players everywhere. During this time he began performing with Kathy Mattea and has spent the last 20 years playing fiddle, mandolin and providing harmony vocals. These days, you can catch Fred at the Violin Shop or out on the road playing his fiddle & showcasing his recent album, One More Thing.