[The following is from the official press release.]
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 5-string bluegrass and 4-string plectrum banjo traditions.
Martin comments: “Once again, we are all honored to acknowledge these dedicated and highly-skilled musicians.” Martin will introduce viewers to the winners on December 11th at 6PM EDT on the Deering Banjo Company’s livestream show Deering Live on their YouTube channel. 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 2023 winners are Cynthia Sayer of New York City, NY and the late Terry Baucom of Elkin, North Carolina. Each recipient will receive a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize, with Baucom’s prize being accepted by his family.
| Cynthia Sayer: Praised for her “drive and virtuosity” by The New York Times, instrumentalist/vocalist/bandleader Cynthia Sayer is renowned for bringing the swinging sounds of jazz banjo, the original fretted instrument of jazz, to concert and festival audiences worldwide. An American Banjo Hall of Famer and pioneer on her instrument, Sayer pays tribute to America’s jazz heritage through her virtuoso playing, relatable vocals, and informative, entertaining anecdotes. Sayer is a multi-instrumentalist heard on feature film and TV soundtracks and has appeared on numerous national TV and radio shows, performed at The White House, played with The New York Philharmonic and The New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and is a longtime founding member of Woody Allen’s New Orleans Jazz Band. She is also an avid educator with a long track record of jazz workshops, lecture/demos, and educational programming for all ages. |
| Terry Baucom: Over the course of a 50-year career, Terry Baucom set the bar for bluegrass banjo players with his inimitable, hard-driving style. Nicknamed the “Duke of Drive” for the constancy of his timing, clean playing and clear tone, Baucom played with some of the most influential musicians in bluegrass and has helped to expand the possibilities for 3-finger banjo. In 1975, he co-founded the groundbreaking group Boone Creek with Ricky Skaggs and Jerry Douglas. In 1979 he became a founding member of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver and, in the early 90s, he founded IIIrd Time Out. In 2023, Baucom received the Distinguished Achievement from the International Bluegrass Music Association for his contributions to the furtherance of bluegrass music. He was also a member of the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame and a mentor to aspiring musicians. Sadly, Terry Baucom passed away on December 7th following a brief but debilitating illness, just days after receiving word that he had been selected as one of this year’s recipients. |
About The Steve Martin Banjo Prize:
Originally conceived of and launched in 2010 by comedy legend and banjo player Steve Martin, the Steve Martin Banjo Prize for Excellence in Banjo & Bluegrass put $500K dollars into the banjo community over the course of a decade giving an unrestricted $50K award annually to a master bluegrass or old-time banjo player.
Winners included some of the instrument’s brightest stars: Rhiannon Giddens, Noam Pikelny, Jens Kruger and Kristin Scott Benson. At the end of 2019, having fulfilled its initial mission of giving ten awards, Martin and the board determined that the Banjo Prize needed a new vision and expanded infrastructure to move forward. Co-sponsored by The FreshGrass Foundation, The Steve Martin Charitable Foundation and The Compass Records Group, the Steve Martin Banjo Prize now recognizes outstanding achievement across all styles of 5 and 4 string banjo with an unrestricted cash award.
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. For more information please visit Steve Martin Banjo Prize.
About The FreshGrass Foundation:
The FreshGrass Foundation’s mission is to preserve, support and create innovative grassroots music, and to help push roots music forward while also embracing and celebrating its past. The Foundation pursues this mission through a variety programs and partnerships including its 2 signature FreshGrass Festivals, its sponsorship of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize and through various commissions and awards for roots musicians as well as through its media properties No Depression and Folk Alley. For more information, please visit, FreshGrass Foundation.
