Giddens picks her way to top banjo prize

Whether playing old-time music in small venues or on public television or standing with the North Carolina Symphony as a soloist, Rhiannon Giddens, a Greensboro native, conveys the presence of a star. And she is one, bringing crowds that are a cross-section of music lovers always to their feet in appreciation.

And speaking of appreciation, fellow artists are struck with her talent as a singer and instrumentalist. One of them – the actor, comedian and bluegrass banjo wizard Steve Martin – has most recently bowed to Giddens’ gifts. She is the latest winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, which carries a $50,000 stipend. She is the first woman and the first African-American to win the prize. That is fitting, because Giddens has been a pioneer of “firsts” in the old-time music world, which she has expanded personally to include the entire music world.

Giddens is 39. Some years ago, she founded, with others, a string band in the Triangle called the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Martin himself did not understate things when he said, “Rhiannon has made a rare contribution to American music. She – along with the Carolina Chocolate Drops – has resurrected and revitalized an important part of banjo history.”

David Holt, a folklorist who appears frequently on public television, knows about playing with the best, as he used to tour with the late Doc Watson. Giddens has been on his show, though he had heard of her before and has performed with her. Holt rightly reckoned Giddens to be “one of those people with unlimited talent.”

This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 6:58 PM with the headline "Giddens picks her way to top banjo prize."