Jim Nelson is a veteran of the old-time music scene, having honed his guitar skills through many years of playing with senior dance fiddlers, especially Bob Holt of Ava, Missouri and Lotus Dickey of Paoli, Indiana, and by keeping a close eye on some of the older guitar players. He has been playing with Geoff Seitz for the past 40 years, and along with Geoff and Curt Buckhannon, he played with the St. Louis-based Ill-Mo Boys for over two decades, and produced their three critically acclaimed recordings. He also played with the Volo Bogtrotters from 1985 to 1991 and rejoined the band in 2011, and remains a member of that band to this day. In addition to recordings by the previously mentioned fiddlers and bands, Jim’s solid, creative guitar playing can also be heard on recording projects with “younger” fiddlers like Rhys Jones, Chirps Smith, Geoff, and more recently with the Rocky Creek Ramblers and the Little Egypt Pep-Steppers. These days he and his wife, Dedo Norris, keep a steady schedule playing dances throughout the Midwest. In addition to performing and playing for dances, Jim also has taught guitar classes and numerous workshops on old-time music at camps and festivals across the country.