Carley’s Story

A musician’s path is often a winding one; moving from one gig to another over the course of a career, diligently putting time in with dozens of bands and hundreds of fellow players. Perhaps waiting many years before stepping forward as an artist and leader in their own right, if they ever do at all. But sometimes a young performer knows early on that they have been called to take the reins of their careers, and they begin to tell their own story. As her last name suggests, Carley Arrowood’s trajectory has been a nearly straight line. From the moment she was first inspired to pick up the fiddle, to bands with friends and youth symphony, to taking her first professional job with a top bluegrass act, to striking out on her own, every step she’s taken has been a step forward.

With the release of her debut album “Goin’ Home Comin’ On” in 2022 for Mountain Home Music Company, and several singles from her upcoming sophomore release, “Colors” (releasing March 29, 2024), Carley has established herself as an award-winning singer, songwriter, and cutting-edge fiddler. She has been the recipient of two IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Momentum Awards (2017 Instrumentalist of the Year & 2023 Vocalist of the Year) and has been a featured artist in the IBMA Songwriter Showcase twice as well. Some of her originals have also won and placed in the Hazel Dickens Song Contest, as well as the IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards). With her new album in sight, she plans to keep moving forward with what she’s been given.

Carley’s voice on the fiddle is forceful and bright, with her formidable technique and diverse musical vocabulary put to work in service to the piece. Years of study, natural ability, and the crucial component of finely-honed creative taste, make Carley’s approach to her instrument unique and uniquely powerful. Astute listeners will hear in her playing a masterful bluegrass fiddler from North Carolina, of course, but also the ancient tones of Celtic music, and the refinement of a symphonic and chamber musician.

For every player there is a moment that ignited the fire in them to make music, and Carley’s happened at the age of 10 when she heard a friend from her 4-H group playing bluegrass fiddle. She soon began studies in the Suzuki method with Jan Daugherty of Saluda, North Carolina, traveling to the local library every week.

Daugherty would show her simple fiddle tunes along with the Suzuki pieces. Those formal studies helped her to reinforce a natural ear that her teacher had already identified as unusually strong, and to build a technique that allowed her to express her innate musicality. In addition to her interest in classical music and bluegrass, Daugherty introduced Carley to Scots Irish music, one of the stylistic ancestors of bluegrass. The razor-sharp articulations and ornaments that are the hallmarks of Celtic fiddling informed her playing then and now. It’s rare to find a player who can play both Celtic music and bluegrass convincingly, but you needn’t look any farther than Carley’s recording, “The Ballad of Calvary”, and hear her perform “The Butterfly” to see that she’s a real double-threat, and that she understands what a Celtic song should sound like in the 2020’s.

While Carley was getting her feet wet in both worlds of classical and bluegrass, her sister Autumn began taking mandolin lessons from local teacher Dennis McEntire. Their cousin Katie McEntire would join them on bass, and Dennis put the girls’ first band together, which they collectively named Carolina Jasmine. They would later add two more members and would become the first all-female group to win the prestigious Fiddler’s Grove band competition. Carley’s formal studies continued to progress, and she would later join the Hendersonville Youth Symphony, and perform in a chamber quartet. In between, she made time to study fiddle with elite bluegrass musicians like Bryan McDowell, Shawn Lane, and Jim VanCleve, and would even make a stop on the way to orchestra rehearsal to take banjo lessons from the great Kristin Scott Benson. As her interest in bluegrass grew, it became time for a new, more serious bluegrass outlet, which took shape in another band Carley would help found: Most wanted Bluegrass. Most Wanted would be her first traveling band, and the one in which she would decide to pursue music professionally. They won contests locally and regionally, including the Galax Old Time Fiddler’s Convention band contest, as well as their beloved Fiddler’s Grove festival in 2012. They also had performances at Dollywood’ BBQ and Bluegrass Festival several times and appeared on local TV stations. Eventually, it felt to Carley that it was time to step away from classical performance entirely so she could focus more in depth on her bluegrass.

While still in high school, Carley heard that contemporary bluegrass greats Darin & Brooke Aldridge were in search of a new fiddler to replace the departing Rachel Johnson Boyd. With encouragement from her dad, she sent them an audition video. The video didn’t get her the gig, and the job went to Becky Buller, but it got her on the Aldridge’s radar, and would later lead to a stronger connection with Darin and Brooke when they first met in-person at the Red White and Bluegrass Festival’s kid’s bluegrass camp, which she was attending with Most Wanted Bluegrass. One year later, Carley was offered a few dates with Darin & Brooke to fill in for Becky. She made an impression on those shows, and when the fiddle job became available again, Carley got the call and joined the band full-time the day after she graduated high school. With that, she was off and running as a professional musician.   

The next 5 years would find Carley traveling the world, gracing the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, and performing not just with Darin & Brooke, but with their collaborator, newgrass pioneer and founding member of Newgrass Revival, John Cowan. Looking back on a particularly inspiring night in Prague, with Cowan fans and NGR devotees singing along with every word, she says; “This is why we do it, because people just love it so much, it connects everybody in such a special way.” Carley would also be asked to record with Darin & Brooke, contributing fiddle and vocals on their albums Faster & Farther, and Inner Journey. During those sessions Carley’s skill and artistry came to the attention of the Mountain Home team. When they began to talk about her solo ambitions, it became even more clear that she was the real deal, says Mountain Home’s Jon Weisberger; “We already knew Carley’s vocal and instrumental talent from her work here with Darin & Brooke Aldridge, but from our first meetings with her about joining our artist family it was clear that she has everything it takes to make great music and build a successful career.  Carley’s attention to detail; her passion for getting things right; her deep faith and joyous spirit; and her natural professionalism make bringing her music to the world a thoroughly enjoyable job.”

After a wonderfully fruitful period with Darin & Brooke, the time came for Carley to retake the reigns and move forward as a solo artist. A bittersweet moment for all, that Darin and Brooke encapsulate by saying:

“The first time we heard Carley play we realized she had a natural, God given talent. In her youth she stood out among all others coming up in the business. We are proud to see how she’s grown and developed into the artist and young woman she is today.”  

As mentioned above, Carley’s debut album “Goin’ Home Comin’ On” released with Mountain Home in April of 2022, with multiple singles charting and gaining numerous streams on music platforms. Now, her second full album “Colors” will be what she anticipates to be even more encompassing of her unique style in acoustic and bluegrass music. The ten tracks include several of Carley’s popular original songs that have seen significant chart action (and can found on all streaming services), as well as tunes by renowned writers as Tim Stafford and Josh Shilling. Carley has also included two of her powerful instrumental fiddle tunes, one of which can be found streaming as well. Fans will hear her music often on Sirus XM’s Bluegrass Junction as well as other popular bluegrass stations. “Colors” is available for pre-save, and upon doing so listeners will receive the title track, a gospel song penned by Carley and Daniel. Click the link below to pre-save the album, and be sure to follow Carley on all social media! Check out her tour dates to see when she and the band will be near you.