Over the Rainbow

Jim Cornwell

An instrumental album featuring traditional, acoustic music with flatpicked steel string guitar and mandolin playing Bluegrass and Irish fiddle tunes.

Jim Cornwell's "Over The Rainbow" CD is an instrumental compilation of traditional style fiddle tunes played on acoustic steel string guitar and mandolin. The guitar and mandolin flatpick the lead

An instrumental album featuring traditional, acoustic music with flatpicked steel string guitar and mandolin playing Bluegrass and Irish fiddle tunes.

Jim Cornwell's "Over The Rainbow" CD is an instrumental compilation of traditional style fiddle tunes played on acoustic steel string guitar and mandolin. The guitar and mandolin flatpick the lead and provide rhythm. There are some flashy "contest winning" arrangements as well as some basic, beautiful melody arrangements of various Reels and Hornpipes from Bluegrass, Irish,and Old Time fiddle tunes. The title track comes from the Wizard of Oz, but the remaining tracks come from heritage much further back in time.

Jim has been playing this style of music since 1974. He and his friend Roger Helton played the World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1982 and were runner up in the National Mountain Music Festival the same year. Jim Cornwell performed as the opening act for a concert that Doc and Merle Watson played with Mark O'Connor in 1983, and then obtained a "real job" to carry him into the new millennium. Jim continues to play part time primarily in the Pacific Northwest. Some musicians that have influenced Jim are Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Dan Crary and Tony Rice. Jim's CD's have sold in such far away places as Japan, Australia, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Germany proving music is truly an international language. Jim's music has been featured on several local radio and television shows both as soundtracks and performances.

Jim performs on both vintage and new instruments including his 1942 Martin D-18, his 1921 Gibson A-4, his 1976 Martin D-28, his 1980 Martin HD-28, his 2002 Collings MF-5 and his 2003 Collings D2HBaaaA guitar made with Brazilian Rosewood and Adirondack Red Spruce.

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