William G. Evans (born September 2, 1956) is an American musician, author, and instructor noted for his banjo proficiency and knowledge of the history of the instrument.

Biography

Evans earned a master's degree in Music from University of California, Berkeley in 1992, with a focus on ethnomusicology. He learned banjo in person from masters such as Tony Trischka, Alan Munde, Bill Keith,

Ben Eldridge Ben Eldridge, (born August 15, 1938) is a five-string banjo player and a founding member of the seminal bluegrass group The Seldom Scene. He also works as a mathematician. Biography Ben Eldridge was born in Richmond, Virginia. He began playing the ...

, Sonny Osborne, and J. D. Crowe.

Cloud Valley

Evans' first band was

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

-based Cloud Valley with Missy Raines (bass), Charlie Rancke (guitar), and Steve Smith (mandolin). The progressive bluegrass band released two albums: ''A Bluegrass Ensemble'' in 1983 and ''Live In Europe'' in 1985. Their final performance was in Winfield, Kansas in 1985, but Evans still collaborates with individual band members.

Dry Branch Fire Squad

For some time, Evans performed and recorded with

Dry Branch Fire Squad The Dry Branch Fire Squad is an American traditional-style bluegrass band from Virginia, which is fronted by Ron Thomason. The band is known for its showy performances and for Thomason's humorous interludes. The Dry Branch Fire Squad is the host ...

Bluegrass Intentions

Evans was a member of the bluegrass ensemble Bluegrass Intentions with Suzy Thompson (fiddle, Cajun accordion, vocals), Eric Thompson (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Larry Cohea (bass, vocals), and

Alan Senauke Hozan Alan Senauke (born 1947) is a Soto Zen priest, folk musicianBuddenbaum, 398–399 and poet residing at the Berkeley Zen Center (BZC) in Berkeley, California, where he currently serves as Abbot. He is a former Executive Director of the Bud ...

(guitar, vocals). They released one album ''Old as Dirt'' on Evans's Native and Fine record label in 2002.

Due West

Bluegrass group Due West featured Evans,

Jim Nunally Jim Nunally plays bluegrass-style, flat pick guitar with John Reischman and the Jaybirds, and with The David Grisman Bluegrass Experience. Jim has received two Grammy award certifications and two IBMA awards for his performance on the 1996 Bl ...

(guitar), Erik Thomas (mandolin), Cindy Browne (bass) and Chad Manning (fiddle). Their one album is ''These Boots'' released in 2003.

Bill Evans String Summit

The Bill Evans String Summit is Evans, Scott Nygaard (guitar), Michael Witcher (dobro), Cindy Browne (bass), Tashina Clarridge (violin), and Tristan Clarridge (violin, cello). Group members bring together their influences from their backgrounds in jazz, classical, and world music.

Recent collaborations

Evans has been touring and holding workshops several weeks each year with Alan Munde (

Country Gazette ''The Country Gazette'' is a weekly newspaper serving the Massachusetts towns of Bellingham, Foxborough, Franklin, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Plainville and Wrentham. The free paper is distributed to residents of these towns located along the ...

). He has also been recording with long-time bluegrass fiddler Fletcher Bright. Evans tours frequently with mandolin player Steve Smith from Cloud County, and with fiddler Megan Lynch. He also has been touring with

Dan Crary Dan Crary ''(aka Deacon Dan Crary)'' was born September 29, 1939 in Kansas City, Kansas and is an American bluegrass guitarist. He helped re-establish flatpicked guitar as a prominent soloing bluegrass instrument. Crary is an innovator of the flat ...

(guitar) and Steve Spurgin (bass).

Education and teaching

Evans has taught

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...

at San Francisco State University, the University of Virginia, and Duke University. Evans gives private banjo lessons at his home in

Albany, California Albany ( ) is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in northwestern Alameda County, California. The population was 20,271 at the 2020 census. History In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their ...

. He also stages banjo workshops at major music festivals all over the country. A

convocation A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a speci ...

by Evans "The Banjo in America: A Musical and Cultural History" has been presented in various venues across the country. This convocation traces the history of the banjo from West African to the New World, with performances on vintage instruments of music from the 1700s to today.

Music Instruction Author

In 2007, Wiley Publishing published the book ''Banjo for Dummies'' authored by Evans. This was followed in 2016 in by ''Bluegrass Banjo for Dummies''. In recent years, Evans has been the author of the "Off the Record" instructional column for Banjo Newsletter magazine. Evans and Dix Bruce co-authored the ''Parking Lot Pickers Songbook'' published by Mel Bay Publications.

Endorsements

American Made Banjo Company created the Bill Evans Signature Series 5 String Kel Kroydon banjo.

Awards

Bill Evans was awarded the 2022 Steve Martin Banjo Prize 11/10/2022. In 1997, Evans was awarded a musical composition fellowship by the Kentucky Arts Council. In 1996, Evan's album ''Native and Fine'' earned an honorable mention in the category of Acoustic Instrumental Recording of the Year from the NAIRD (National Association of Independent Record Retailers and Distributors). The album "Bill Evans Plays Banjo" was cited by the Chicago Tribune as a Top 10 Bluegrass Recording of 2001.

Discography

Solo albums

* 1995: ''Native and Fine'' (

Rounder Rounder(s) or The Rounder(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''The Rounders'' (1914 film), a comedy short * ''The Rounder'' (1930 film), a comedy short * ''The Rounders'' (1965 film), a western comedy * ''Rounders'' (film), a 1998 poker f ...

) * 2001: ''Plays Banjo'' (Mighty Fine) * 2009: ''...Let's Do Something...'' (Native and Fine) with Megan Lynch * 2012: ''In Good Company'' (Native and Fine) * 2013: ''Fine Times at Fletcher's House'' (Native and Fine) with Fletcher Bright * 2016: ''Songs That Are Mostly Older Than Us'' (Native and Fine) with Fletcher Bright, Norman Blake, and Nancy Blake

As a member of Cloud Valley

* 1982: ''A Bluegrass Ensemble'' (Outlet) * 1985: ''Live In Europe'' (Strictly Country)

As a member of
Dry Branch Fire Squad The Dry Branch Fire Squad is an American traditional-style bluegrass band from Virginia, which is fronted by Ron Thomason. The band is known for its showy performances and for Thomason's humorous interludes. The Dry Branch Fire Squad is the host ...

* 1996: ''Live! At Last'' (Rounder)

As a member of Bluegrass Intentions

* 2002: ''Old As Dirt'' (Native and Fine)

As a member of Due West

* 2003: ''These Boots'' (Native and Fine)

As producer

* 1998: Suzanne Thomas - ''Dear Friends & Gentle Hearts'' (Rounder)

Also appears on

* 1983: Alan Munde - ''In the Tradition'' (Ridge Runner) - banjo on track 3, "Five by Two" * 1999: Buckeye - ''Buckeye'' (B Music) * 2000: Enzo Garcia - ''Words'' (Recaredo) * 2001:

Kathy Kallick Kathy Kallick (born September 19, 1952) is an American bluegrass musician, bandleader, vocalist, guitar player, songwriter, and recording artist. Biography Kallick's mother, Dodi Kallick, was a leading member of the Chicago-area folk music scene ...

- ''My Mother's Voice'' (Copper Creek) * 2004: Chad Manning - ''Old Gnarly Oak'' (Tricopolis) * 2007:

- ''Gloria's Waltz'' (FGM) * 2008:

Los Cenzontles Los Cenzontles (Nahuatl for The Mockingbirds) is a Mexican-American group, cultural arts academy, and media production studio, that promotes Mexican roots music through research, performance, education, musical recordings and videos. They are bas ...

- ''Los Senn-Sont-Less'' (self-released) * 2008: Tony Trischka - ''Territory'' ( Smithsonian Folkways) * 2010: Steve Smith, Chris Sanders, and Hard Road - ''Signs Along the Road'' (self-released) * 2012: Mike McKinley - ''Bindlestiff'' (Sand Rabbit) * 2012: Bill Emerson and the Sweet Dixie Band - ''The Touch of Time'' ( Rural Rhythm) * 2012: Jody Stecher - ''Wonders & Signs'' (Vegetiboy)

Music Instruction

DVDs

* 2003: ''Power Pickin' Vol. 1: Up the Neck Backup for Bluegrass Banjo'' (AccuTab) * 2005: ''The Bluegrass Banjo of Sonny Osborne'' (Accutab) hosted by Bill Evans and Tom Adler * 2010: ''Power Pickin' Vol. 3: Playing Banjo Backup in a Bluegrass Band'' (AccuTab) * 2010: ''Power Pickin' Vol. 4: Power Pickin Vol. 4: Bluegrass Banjo Master Claas'' (AccuTab) * 2012: ''Harmony Singing Made Easy'' DVD (Murphy Method) with Janet Beazley, Chris Stuart, and Murphy Henry * 2013: ''Bluegrass Banjo Favorites'' (

Homespun Home spun literally refers to hand spinning, see spinning (textiles). Homespun may refer to: * Homespun fabric, especially that worn by American colonists who were boycotting British goods * "Homespun", pseudonym of Benjamin Franklin in ''The Ha ...

) * 2016: ''Bluegrass Banjo Licks-ercises Vol 1: Scruggs Style'' (Homespun) * 2016: ''Bluegrass Banjo Licks-ercises Vol 2: Single String and Melodic Styles'' (Homespun)

Books

* 2006: ''Absolute Beginners: Banjo'' (Music Sales America) * 2007: ''Banjo for Dummies'' ( Wiley) * 2007: ''Parking Lot Picker's Songbook: Banjo'' ( Mel Bay) with Dix Bruce * 2015: ''Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies'' (Wiley)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Bill 1956 births Living people Bluegrass musicians from Virginia American country banjoists Country musicians from Virginia