LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Steve Martin and the Board of The Steve Martin Banjo Prize announced that Bill Evans of Alto, New Mexico and Enda Scahill of Galway, Ireland are the recipients of the 2022 Banjo Prize.
Originally launched in 2010 by comedy legend and noted banjo player Steve Martin, the Steve Martin Banjo Prize for Excellence in Banjo & Bluegrass has put more than $500,000 into th ebanjo community in the last decade with an award of $50K award given annually to a master bluegrass or old-time banjo player.
Past recipients include Rhiannon Giddens, Noam Pikelny, Jens Kruger, and Kristin Scott Benson.
In 2019, the award was re-imagined after fulfilling its initial mission of providing ten awards and is now sponsored by The FreshGrass Foundation, The Steve Martin Charitable Foundation and The Compass Records Group.
Current board members include Steve Martin, Alison Brown, Béla Fleck, Noam Pikelny, Anne Stringfield, Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick, Johnny Baier, Kristin Scott Benson, Roger Brown, Jaime Deering, Dom Flemons, Paul Schiminger, Chris Wadsworth and Garry West.
“We are proud to honor all of the multitudes of banjo styles. So many great artists, so little time,” Steve Martin said.
With a career that spans more than 4 decades, Evans is best known for his mastery of the 5-string banjo, including traditional and progressive styles. As an educator, performer, writer, composer, Evans has developed a reputation for his expertise in 19th and early 20th century minstrel and classic banjo styles. He is the author of several instructional books for banjo players, including the best-selling “Banjo for Dummies” and regularly participates in and stages banjo camps across the US and abroad. This year, he released the DVD/CD The Banjo In America, which explores music from the 1780s to the modern era, including original compositions.
Enda Scahill is one of Ireland’s most celebrated tenor banjoists and a four-time All Ireland champion. He is a founding member of the group We Banjo 3 and the creator and host of the podcast “Inside the Banjoverse” which examines some of the instruments most notable artists. In addition, Enda is the author of “The Irish Banjo Tutor Vol I and II”, the top selling tenor banjo tutorial series on the market.
