Joshua Keith Goforth was born on April 9, 1981 in Asheville, NC. From an early age he was extremely interested in music. At four he was singing and playing piano in church. His family roots lie in Madison County, North Carolina, filled with rural communities steeped in old-time and religious music. So it was natural that Josh had such a gift and interest in this art form. In the sixth grade, he was introduced to old-time music through Sheila Kay Adams, a Madison County native and seventh generation ballad singer and storyteller. From that time, he devoted his life to learning and preserving the heritage of his Appalachian ancestry.

Goforth has performed in 9 foreign countries and most every state in the eastern United States. He has appeared at Lincoln Center, Gstaad Country Nights Festival in Switzerland, The Austrian Alps Performing Arts Festival, and many other festivals and concerts around the world. He is in high demand as a brass clinician at area high schools and has also taught numerous workshops such as the Blueridge Old-Time Music Week at Mars Hill College. He has lectured at colleges and universities around the nation. He appeared in the Trimark Feature Film Songcatcher starring Aidan Quinn and Janet McTear as Fiddlin’ Will and contributed several fiddle pieces to the soundtrack. In the year 2000, he was named Fiddler of the Festival at the nationally acclaimed Fiddler’s Grove competition.