Bill Evans, formerly of El Cerrito and Richmond in the East Bay and now of Alto, NM, has joined the ranks of those honored with the prestigious Steve Martin Banjo Prize, now in its 12th year.
Actor and musician Steve Martin and the banjo prize board named Evans and Enda Scahill as the 2022 recipients earlier today. Each will receive an award of $25,000.
Bill Evans, left, and Enda Scahill (photos by Snap Jackson and McCormack)
Evans is considered a master of the 5-string banjo, playing both traditional and progressive bluegrass and known both for performing and teaching. An expert in 19th century and early 20th century banjo styles, Evans released a DVD/CD this year titled The Banjo in America, tracing the evolution of the instrument’s uses from the 1780s to the present. He’s the author of the best-selling Banjo for Dummies and many other instructional books for banjo.
Bill Evans is best known to NCBS Members as a performer at the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival, the Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, and the NCBS San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival, and for his exhibition of a short banjo film at the NCBS Bluegrass Film Festival. He was voted Best Banjo Player at the NCBS Northern California Bluegrass Awards. In addition to performing with many national and area bluegrass bands, he did a solo act using historical musical instruments that traced the history of The Banjo In America.
Evans settled in the Bay Area after he left his position as the original Assistant Director of the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, KY and his position as the banjo player in the Dry Branch Fire Squad, then based in southern Ohio.
Scahill is one of Ireland’s most celebrated tenor banjo players, a four-time winner of the All-Ireland Championship. He’s a founding member of the band We Banjo 3 and hosts the Inside the Banjoverse podcast. Scahill is the author of The Irish Banjo Tutor Vol. I and II.
“We are proud to honor all of the multitudes of banjo styles,” Martin said in a press release announcing the winners. “So many great artists, so little time.” Martin introduced the winners during a livestream this evening.
Nearly a decade after the inaugural Steve Martin Banjo Prize was awarded in 2010, Martin and the prize’s board partnered with the FreshGrass Foundation, The Steve Martin Charitable Foundation, and Compass Records Group to administrate the award in 2019. The prize expanded from honoring bluegrass and old-time players to all styles of 5- and 4-string banjo.
Last year’s prize went to Alan Munde and Don Vappie. Previous winners have included, in 2020, Jake Blount, Catherine “BB” Bowness, Matthew Davis, Gerry O’Connor, and Buddy Wachter; Victor Furtado (2019); Kristin Scott Benson (2018); Scott Vestal (2017); Rhiannon Giddens (2016); Danny Barnes (2015); Eddie Adcock (2014); Jens Kruger (2013); Mark Johnson (2012); Sammy Shelor (2011); and Noam Pikelny (2010).
Along with Martin, each year’s prize winners are selected by a board that this year includes Alison Brown, Béla Fleck, Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick, Jamie Deering, Dom Flemons, and several past honorees.