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Ron Stewart

Musician · b. 1968 · Paoli, Indiana · Also a recording artist
Best known for Fiddle Banjo

Ron Stewart is one of the most sought-after multi-instrumentalists in modern bluegrass — a rare player who has won IBMA awards on two different instruments: Fiddle Player of the Year in 2000 and Banjo Player of the Year in 2011. His command of banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin at first-call session level has kept him in continuous work with J.D. Crowe and the New South, the Dan Tyminski Band, the Boxcars, Lynn Morris, and the Seldom Scene across three decades. As a producer, engineer, and luthier, he is equally central to the behind-the-scenes machinery of modern bluegrass recording.

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  • Born in Paoli, Indiana, an hour and a half from Bill Monroe's Bean Blossom festival. Grew up immersed in the rural Indiana bluegrass and old-time scene; father Frank Stewart is a violin-builder and instrument repair specialist.
  • Started fiddle at age three. At nine, made guest appearances with Lester Flatt and appeared on one of Flatt's live albums — an extraordinary debut for a child.
  • Played with his parents in the Stewart Family Band 1977–1990 as “Little Ronnie Stewart” or “Fiddlin' Ronnie Stewart.”
  • Worked with Curly Seckler in 1989; recorded two albums with Seckler (Tribute to Lester Flatt and Bluegrass Gospel).
  • Member of Gary Brewer and the Kentucky Ramblers 1991–1994. Formed his own band Little Creek in 1995.
  • Played banjo, guitar, and fiddle in the Lynn Morris Band 1997–2003. Released solo album Time Stands Still (Rounder, 2001) produced by Morris, with guests including Dudley Connell, Sammy Shelor, Rob Ickes, and Marshall Wilborn.
  • Won IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year in 2000.
  • Joined J.D. Crowe and the New South in 2003 as fiddler alongside Rickey Wasson, Dwight McCall, and Harold Nixon. Six-year tenure; engineered and played fiddle on the New South's 2006 Grammy-nominated album Lefty's Old Guitar.
  • Joined the Dan Tyminski Band in 2007 with Adam Steffey, Barry Bales, and Justin Moses. Recorded Wheels (2008) with that lineup.
  • Recorded with Longview (Marshall Wilborn, Don Rigsby, James King, Lou Reid, J.D. Crowe) on 2008's Deep in the Mountains.
  • Co-founded the Boxcars in 2009 with Adam Steffey (mandolin), John Bowman (guitar/fiddle/banjo), Keith Garrett (guitar/vocals), and Harold Nixon (bass). Won IBMA Emerging Artist and Instrumental Group of the Year in 2011.
  • Won IBMA Banjo Player of the Year in 2011 — making him a rare two-instrument IBMA winner.
  • Joined the Seldom Scene in November 2017 when the Boxcars disbanded, replacing Rickie Simpkins. Has played banjo and fiddle with the Scene ever since, alongside Dudley Connell, Lou Reid, Fred Travers, and Ronnie Simpkins.
  • Warren Yates produces the Ron Stewart Signature Series Banjo designed to recreate the tone of a 1933 instrument. Ron and his father Frank restore acoustic stringed instruments and build F&R Stewart Violins at his Sleepy Valley Ranch in southern Indiana.
  • Also operates Sleepy Valley Barn, his recording studio, where he engineers and produces sessions for other artists. Built his log home on the ranch from trees on his own property in 2000.
  • Has appeared on hundreds of bluegrass recordings across the past three decades as a session player — few bluegrass albums of the past 25 years are without him on at least one track.

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