The Steve Martin Annual Banjo Prize Names Two Winners for 2024

Steve Martin and the Board of The Steve Martin Banjo Prize have announced two winners for this year’s prize. Building on the Board’s mission to recognize excellence across the spectrum of banjo styles, this year’s recipients represent excellence in both clawhammer and 5-string bluegrass banjo styles.

Steve Martin will introduce viewers to the winners on December 17th at 5.30PM EDT on the Deering Banjo Company’s livestream show Deering Live broadcasting on their YouTube channel. Martin comments: "The acknowledgement of these unique and talented musicians continues to thrill me."

The live stream will be co-hosted by board co-chair Alison Brown and will be co-posted on the Facebook pages of sponsors FreshGrass Foundation and Compass Records as well as No Depression, Folk Alley and the International Bluegrass Music Association. The program will include interviews and musical performances. Viewers can click HERE to watch the live stream.

The 2024 winners are Allison de Groot of Winnipeg, Canada and Tray Wellington of Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Each recipient will receive a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize.

Allison de Groot:

Allison de Groot is one of the most highly regarded clawhammer banjoists on the North American folk scene. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, she has deep roots in old time music and delights in bringing her own contemporary sensibility to the banjo tradition. Her playing is characterized by an ability to seamlessly navigate between delicate melodic lines and powerful driving rhythm adding an emotional depth to her sound. Allison is a frequent collaborator with notable musicians in the old-time and roots music scenes, including fiddler Tatiana Hargreaves with whom she recently received 2 Canadian Folk Music Awards and a Juno nomination. Along with performing and recording, teaching banjo has been a big part of Allison’s musical life, and the recent launch of her online teaching school on the ArtistWorks platform is a continuation of her educational pursuits. About the banjo, Allison says: "It still feels just as exciting as it did the first day I picked it up....I feel like I could live 100 lifetimes and explore the banjo."

Tray Wellington:

Tray Wellington is one of the most important new voices on 3-finger style banjo. He takes a forward-thinking approach to the instrument, subverting the whitewashed cultural touch points associated with the 5-string banjo by incorporating elements of jazz, bebop and hip-hop alongside his bluegrass roots. The result is an original vision for the instrument that blurs musical boundaries. Tray honed his skills playing bluegrass and old-time music in the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. He won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Award in 2019 and, upon the release of his debut album Black Banjo, earned critical praise from tastemakers including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. In his live shows and on recordings, he charts new territory for the instrument through his original compositions and incorporation of unlikely covers. He says "Exploring had always been part of my personality since I was a kid! Music is the same way for me. Since I started playing banjo at 14, I had ideas for how I could constantly expand my musical vision and make my personality shine through banjo. Every day I am still on that journey and cannot wait to continue this pursuit"