Steep Canyon Rangers

Hailing from both the Appalachian and Piedmont regions of North Carolina, the Steep Canyon Rangers have long held traditional bluegrass paramount, while possessing an exceptional ability to bring it down the mountain, incorporating accessible influence from all walks of the region. With the band’s last few albums, they have gained recognition from well beyond the world of bluegrass, earning a reputation as some of the most influential songwriters in Americana today.

Steep Canyon Rangers is made up of Graham Sharp on banjo and vocals, Mike Guggino on mandolin/mandola and vocals, newcomer Aaron Burdett on guitar and vocals, Nicky Sanders on fiddle and vocals, Mike Ashworth on drums and vocals and Barrett Smith on bass, guitar, and vocals.

Over the band’s esteemed career, the three-time Grammy® nominees have released 14 studio albums, three collaborative albums with actor and banjoist Steve Martin, been inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame and appeared on some of music’s biggest stages. In 2013, Nobody Knows You won the Grammy® Award for Best Bluegrass Album, while Rare Bird (2012) and North Carolina Songbook (2020) garnered nominations in the same category.