Abigail Washburn
Best known for
Banjo
Abigail Washburn is an Illinois-born clawhammer banjoist and singer whose Sparrow Quartet (with Béla Fleck, Casey Driessen, and Ben Sollee), Uncle Earl tenure, and Grammy-winning duo album with Fleck have made her one of the most distinctive voices in modern American banjo — a Mandarin speaker whose work bridges Appalachian and Chinese musical traditions.
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- American clawhammer banjo player and singer, born November 10, 1977 in Evanston, Illinois.
- Married to banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck; the couple has two sons (born 2013 and 2018).
- Member of old-time band Uncle Earl and the Sparrow Quartet (with Béla Fleck, Casey Driessen, Ben Sollee), which formed in 2005.
- Sparrow Quartet toured Tibet in 2006 at the request of the U.S. government and performed in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics; debut album released May 20, 2008 on Nettwerk.
- Won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for her 2014 self-titled duo album with Béla Fleck.
- Studied East Asian studies at Colorado College and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese; named TED Fellow in 2012.
- Member of the experimental trio The Wu-Force.
- Has held fellowships at UNC-Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University focused on US-China cultural relations through music.
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Uncle EarlPlayed on recordings with Uncle Earl
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The Brother BrothersPlayed on recordings with The Brother Brothers
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Abigail WashburnPlayed on recording with Abigail Washburn
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Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow QuartetPlayed on recording with Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet