Carolina Chocolate Drops star named recipient of 2016 Steve Martin Prize

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens has been named the recipient of this year’s (16) Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass.
The seventh annual prize recognises an individual or group for outstanding accomplishments in the field of five-string banjo or bluegrass music.
Giddens is the co-founder of Grammy Award-winning string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
“Rhiannon has made a rare contribution to American music,” comedian, actor and banjo player Martin says. “She, along with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, has resurrected and revitalised an important part of banjo history.”
As this year’s Steve Martin Prize recipient, Giddens will receive $50,000 (GBP37,600) and a bronze sculpture created specifically for the prize by noted artist Eric Fischl.
The award is funded personally by the Steve Martin Charitable Foundation and its first winner was Giddens’ Nonesuch Records labelmate Noam Pikelny of Punch Brothers.