The prize is in danger of disappearing
Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers perform at the Shoreline Amphitheatre on Oct. 20, 2012 in Mountain View, Calif.
Inside was word that the 19-year-old Virginia-bred musician had won the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, which comes with a $50,000 prize and a sculpture.But the award was somewhat bittersweet since Furtado -- the youngest recipient of the prize given out every year since 2010 -- may also be the last. .
“Now, if you listen to a bluegrass channel, you listen to the banjo player and go, ‘Who’s that?’ And you’ve never even heard of him and they’re playing incredibly sophisticated stuff I couldn’t even pretend to do.” Martin and his wife, Anne Stringfield, dreamed up the prize after Martin noticed that some master musicians were still paying off their banjos. “I thought, ‘That’s got to change.’” The first draft of the prize’s statement of purpose was written on the back of a cocktail napkin. It’s the only prize of its kind and has an impressive monetary value.
Martin, whose comedy has enriched “Saturday Night Live” and who has written books like “Shopgirl” and music for Broadway, frequently returns to his banjo. “I’ve always found it moving. I’ve always found it emotional,” he said.
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