Dirk Powell
Best known for
Banjo
Dirk Powell is an Ohio-born, Louisiana-based fiddler and multi-instrumentalist recognized as one of the world's leading experts on traditional Appalachian fiddle and clawhammer banjo styles — a four-time Grammy winner whose film-music credits include "Cold Mountain" and whose collaborators run from Joan Baez to Eric Clapton.
- Born June 7, 1969 in Oberlin, Ohio; raised in a family with deep Kentucky musical roots; relocated to Louisiana in 1992.
- Recognized as one of the world's leading experts on traditional Appalachian fiddle and clawhammer banjo styles.
- Longtime member of the Cajun band Balfa Toujours, immersing him in the Louisiana French tradition.
- Spent roughly ten years as a touring band member for Joan Baez.
- Four-time Grammy winner; television appearances include Late Night with David Letterman, the Today Show, and PBS American Masters.
- Owns and operates Cypress House recording studio, a converted 1850s Creole home on Bayou Teche in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.
- Has recorded and collaborated with Rhiannon Giddens, Loretta Lynn, Tim O'Brien, Eric Clapton, Irma Thomas, and the Raconteurs ("Consolers of the Lonely").
- Substantial film-music credits including "Cold Mountain," "Ride with the Devil," "In the Electric Mist," and the Sundance-winning documentary "Descendant."
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Dirk PowellPlayed on recordings with Dirk Powell
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Dirk Powell, Tim O'Brien and John HerrmannPlayed on recordings with Dirk Powell, Tim O'Brien and John Herrmann
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Bruce MolskyPlayed on recordings with Bruce Molsky
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Tim O'BrienPlayed on recordings with Tim O'Brien
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Darrell ScottPlayed on recording with Darrell Scott
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Riley BaugusPlayed on recording with Riley Baugus
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Sam BushPlayed on recording with Sam Bush