Ed Harvey was born in Kentucky, and grew up in West Virginia, Tennessee, and Indiana. Ed has been interested in music from a very young age. His paternal grandfather played mandolin and sang with his grandmother in churches in southeastern Kentucky, and his maternal grandfather played fiddle and banjo in a bluegrass band called “The Ridge Runners” in northeastern Tennessee. Ed has fond memories of his maternal grandfather’s musical talent and likely developed his love for bluegrass music from this connection. Ed picked up his first guitar at an early age and has been playing guitar ever since that time. Ed also plays upright bass, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, and autoharp at varying levels. Ed is gifted with a vocal range from deep bass to tenor.
Ed moved to Nebraska, in the mid-90s. Shortly thereafter; he met Steve Hanson and soon after began taking guitar, banjo, and mandolin lessons from Steve at his studio in University Place. Ed has attended Steven Hanson’s Bluegrass Camps in Long Pine, Nebraska, Grand Canyon National Park, and Grand Lake, CO for many years and has composed several songs from these experiences. In the mid to late 90s, Ed spent most Friday nights at Mo Java Café in Lincoln listening to, and being inspired by numerous local musicians. After becoming friends with many of them, he joined a local songwriters group and tried his hand at songwriting. Ed wrote his first song about Nebraska over a lunch break at Mo Java Café.
Ed’s music has a signature theme about Nebraska and the prairies of the US Great Plains; however, many of his songs could be interpreted about life in any part of the country. His lyrics flow like a river telling stories seldom told about an event or experience. Singer/songwriters and folk musicians who have influenced Ed’s music include: Stan Rogers, Garnet Rogers, Greg Brown, Norman Blake, Steven Fromholz, Hugh Prestwood, Eric Taylor, and James Keelaghan. Ed also enjoys the music of Flatt and Scruggs, Del McCoury, The Dillards, The Bluegrass Cardinals, The Seldom Scene, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and Jim and Jesse McReynolds among other bluegrass legends.
Ed has performed at Mo Java Café and other coffee houses, music festivals, house concerts, Long Pine Days in Long Pine, NE, and Summer Concerts in the Park in Grand Lake, CO. The highlight of his performance career was opening for Garnet Rogers at a Lincoln Association for Traditional Arts (LAFTA) concert (a personal thrill for Ed).
Ed released his first CD in 2015, and is honored and humbled to be an artist with Prairie Dog Music. Ed currently lives in Colorado with his wife, Carol, and their golden retriever, Finn. Ed is currently writing songs to record on a new CD in the coming years.