Singer/songwriter/violinist Andrew Bird has snuck his way into jazz and folk music, blending into various groups and contributing his undeniable swing influences into whatever music he is performing. The Chicago native has strolled through the jazz-influenced rock genre, picking up fragments of New Orleans jazz, gypsy, swing, folk, blues and rock music, blending them into one distinct signature sound.

Bird dabbled with his first violin at the age of four, a makeshift masterpiece in the form of a Cracker Jack box with a ruler taped to it. Inspired by classical music as a teenager, the young prodigy quickly picked up on the music around him by ear, eventually adding a glockenspiel and guitar to his confident violin skills, finishing his performances off with down-home singing and whistling. By 1997, Bird was making music with his first band, Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire. Bowl of Fire recorded three albums; 1998's Thrills, 1999's Oh! The Grandeur and 2001's The Swimming Hour. While Thrills and Oh! The Grandeur concentrated on more of a jazz and blues feel, The Swimming Hour took Bird's Sinatra-like voice and tweaked it to lean more toward pop music than his other pieces.

Aside from his work with Bowl of Fire, Bird has also contributed to the modern big band jazz style group the Squirrel Nut Zippers, intertwining members from the Zippers and Bowl of Fire in releasing both groups' music. In 2002 Bird released his first solo EP, Fingerlings, and following the EP came Bird's long-awaited solo debut album, Weather Systems. The violin virtuoso outdid himself on the album, creating a mellow yet magical sound that could only be followed up by his next album, 2005's Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs. The 2005 release launched Bird into success, and his next release, 2007's Armchair Apocrypha, was his first to make the Billboard charts. Aside from working on studio albums, Bird has also been wowing audiences in performances at Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, among others.