Steve Martin and Mark Johnson at IBMA
Just before we kicked off the Red Carpet interviews last Thursday at World of Bluegrass, Steve Martin stopped by with Mark Johnson, the 2012 recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music.
This new annual prize is now in its third year of recognizing outstanding banjo players, and comes with a $50,000 cash award. Prior winners were Noam Pikelny and Sammy Shelor.
As Martin explains in the video, he and his wife created the prize to bring attention to banjo artists worthy of wider attention.
Category: Artist Interviews, IBMA 2012
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About the Author (Author Profile)
John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.
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I love it when things work out like this. It is good to see John Lawless interview these two deserving musicians.
I say thanks to Steve Martin for helping so many to experience this art form and to recognize its value.
This resourceful and dedicated gentleman sets an example that inspires all of us.
The sincerity and level of emotion that filled the air on the evening of the IBMA awards was so obvious and so moving that ,in fact, it was contagious. I greatly enjoyed the video coverage of the event on Bluegrass Today.com
.”Thank you boyz “