Jim Collier has been playing old-time banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin since his high school days in
Raleigh, NC. Influenced early on by visits with Roscoe Holcomb, Clyde Davenport, Virgil Anderson, Clyde and Ralph Troxel, and Gaither
Carlton, he developed an interest in a variety of non-commercial, old time music. While living in Boone, NC, Jim had the good fortune to have spent
several of his formative musical years playing with Arnold Watson and getting to experience the rich
musical legacy of the Watson family. Mostly known as a vocalist, guitarist, and mandolin player
with the influential old-time band Big Medicine and most recently vocalist and mandolin player with the Red Squirrel Chasers, in his retirement,
Jim has renewed his love for old time fiddling and has been dusting off his repertoire of old time tunes from Emmett Lundy, Clyde Davenport, Henry Reed, Marcus Martin, and Doc Roberts to name a
few. Jim was a founding member the Tarheel Hot Shots, Big Medicine, played bluegrass mandolin with the Rye Mountain Boys, and currently plays with Wayne and Margaret Martin and Matt Haney in the Piney Woods Boys as well as the Red
Squirrel Chasers.