Jake Simpson’s path to becoming a professional fiddle player began with a makeshift guitar constructed from an empty Kleenex box with rubber bands stretched across it as strings. 

Simpson’s first “guitar,” which was made by his mother, was placed into his hands when he was not yet four years old. She then put a cowboy hat on his head and set him on stage next to bluegrass artists throughout Oklahoma and Missouri. 

He was so adept at being on stage that he even added comedy to his repertoire.

“That was my introduction to entertaining,” Simpson said. 

Years later, Simpson would rise to become the fiddle player for iconic bluegrass band The Lil Smokies.

The group is playing Saturday from 3:30-5 p.m. at Steamboat Square as part of the Bud Light Rocks The Boat Series. The show is free.

Simpson would grow to be a multi-talented musician proficient with the fiddle, guitar, mandolin and bass, while also being a vocalist and songwriter. 

His early entry on the music scene can be attributed to his Oklahoma-based family, who exposed him to music as soon as he was born. From backyard jam sessions to major festivals, Simpson explained that music has always been part of his life for as long as he can remember. 

He recollected the feeling of love and community that existed in his youth while listening to old country music and bluegrass during the summer and on weekends. That “Ozark Mountain culture,” as Simpson called it, along with the music genres he was exposed to, would come to form the backbone of Simpson’s musical style.

It also led to him begging his parents for a fiddle. 

“My parents bought me a fiddle when I was four,” Simpson said. “I started taking lessons when I was 5.” 

By the time he was 11, he had released his first album, “Born to Fiddle.” 

One of the first major music festivals he attended was Rockygrass, where he felt the power of listening to the Infamous String Dusters, Sam Bush and David Grisman. Simpson was 12 years old. Eventually, the idols that he saw on stage would become mentors as well as close friends. 

Later in life, Simpson came to work the grounds at Planet Bluegrass, a notable music venue in Lyons. When rising star Billy Strings passed through, Simpson was asked to play the mandolin with him at the WinterWonderGrass music festival in Avon. 

“I was playing with Billy when I saw the Smokies,” Simpson said.

His curiosity regarding the group had already been piqued a few weeks earlier when a friend mentioned that The Lil Smokies were seeking a fiddle player. Following a few jam sessions, Simpson was invited to play some trial shows with the group.

“That was in April of 2016 and it was all good from there,” he said. 

The Lil Smokies were founded in Missoula in 2009 by several friends who were attending the University of Montana. Among the founders was Andy Dunnigan, the only member who remains a part of the band today. Their first performances were sidewalk-based jam sessions where they played bluegrass standards to raise money for weekend exploits. 

Their sidewalk performances were taken to a new level in 2015 when they won competitions at the Northwest Strings Summit and Telluride Bluegrass Festival. After winning both events, their fan base grew rapidly.

“That’s how The Lil Smokies got started,” Simpson said. “We are almost geezers now in the grand scheme of the bluegrass music business.” 

Simpson attributes the rise of The Lil Smokies, and of bluegrass in general, to the deep historical origins of the genre. He explained that bluegrass has been part of America since it was founded.

“I feel like the genres that led to bluegrass music, folk and storytelling, have always been there,” Simpson said. “It makes you feel nostalgic.”

He linked that feeling to his origins as a musician when his mother thrust his first “guitar” into his arms.

The Lil Smokies currently consist of Simpson on fiddle, Jean-Luc Davis on upright bass, Dunnigan on dobro, Matthew Rieger on guitar and Sam Armstrong Zickefoose on banjo. Despite the fact that they are scattered geographically, the band comes together often to practice and perform. 

They have played WinterWonderGrass in Steamboat several times. This year, they are playing the WWG Tahoe and Baja festivals. Simpson sees the series as a key component of the bluegrass community and a vital launchpad from which rising artists can enjoy the same momentum that The Lil Smokies have.

“It really does feel like a family reunion,” he said. “The other thing that I really love about bluegrass is that sense of community, not only as a listener and musician, but from the perspective that everyone is involved.”

The Lil Smokies feel that Steamboat is “always a good time.” Simpson recalled several shows that he has played in the Yampa Valley where there was a deep sense of belonging and positive energy. 

“We love Steamboat, the old Western culture and the history that is a big part of Steamboat Springs,” Simpson said. “We always love playing Steamboat and the folks there are always ready for a good, live show.”