Cliff Waldron was born in Jolo, W.Va. And moved to the Washington, DC area in 1962. Cliff came to the forefront in bluegrass during his partnership with legendary banjoist, Bill Emerson, in the late 1960s. Their band found songs outside the normal bluegrass sources and brought a fresh, modern sound to bluegrass. After Emerson's departure, Cliff revitalized the band and continued to produce exciting music. During that time, Rebel Records released 12 successful albums to propel Cliff to a national and international reputation. Cliff performed at a variety of venues, including many major bluegrass festivals until his retirement from music in 1974.

Cliff retired in 1996 from a career with the National Park Service and has returned to bluegrass. Rebel Records has released a CD of Emerson & Waldron's music from the late 1960s and a Best of CD from Cliffs music of the 1970s. In 1998, Rebel released a new CD called "Old Friends and Memories" with Cliffs current band.