Jim Steptoe, longtime banjo player with Patent Pending, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly over the weekend. He was found at his home on Sunday, August 30.
Jim was a founding member of the band, along with Eldred Hill, Rusty Williams, Leigh Taylor. The group started in 1979 and was a fixture in the Washington area during a time when the DC metro area was a hotbed of bluegrass and acoustic music activity.
He practiced as an attorney in Martinsburg, WV and it was while studying law in Morgantown that Steptoe and Williams met and started playing music together.
No word yet on arrangements, or where expressions of sympathy should be sent.
Surely they can be delivered to the Patent Pending mailing address:
2086 Sulphur Springs Road
Inwood, West Virginia 25428
Here is a YouTube clip of Patent Pending where Jim and the band play Alabama Jubilee.
Rest in Peace.
