The Asheville, N.C., native began refining his sound while living in the western, mountainous region of North Carolina, where he studied local styles of folk music and drew inspiration from the country-blues musicians who used to travel through the area. Ramsey's willingness to collaborate with other musicians led to a lucky break when his friend Bill Reynolds, bassist for Band of Horses, invited him to visit the band in South Carolina. After striking up a friendship with lead singer Ben Bridwell, Ramsey accepted an invitation to not only open for Band of Horses on their fall tour, but to join the group as guitarist. Despite this busy schedule, he still found time to write and record his own material. Ramsey's second album, A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea, was released in January 2008 by Echo Mountain Records. ~ Katherine Fulton