Steep Canyon Rangers

North Carolina's Steep Canyon Rangers had already built a following through their progressive bluegrass approach well before actor and banjoist Steve Martin joined forces with them in 2009, an alliance that further raised their visibility. From the release of Old Dreams and New Dreams in 2001 onward, the group positioned itself among the era's more forward-thinking traditional bluegrass acts. Following multiple International Bluegrass Music Association honors, they secured an initial Grammy nomination in 2011 for Rare Bird Alert, the Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers album, and claimed the award the next year for Nobody Knows You. Into the following decade they kept testing genre limits, joining Boyz II Men for the 2020 fusion of bluegrass, soul, and R&B titled Be Still Moses and emphasizing their Appalachian folk leanings on the vivid 2023 set Morning Shift.

Graham Sharp, who plays banjo and adds harmony vocals, first crossed paths with future members Woody Platt on guitar and lead vocals and Charles R. Humphrey III on bass and harmony vocals in 1999 during their time as students at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. United by a shared interest in acoustic music, the three began holding spontaneous jam sessions. Their growing attraction to bluegrass led them to master the style's established repertoire, with mandolinist Mike Guggino—an old acquaintance of Platt's—providing the decisive push toward a full bluegrass commitment. Guggino also supplied a mountain cabin near campus that became the quartet's practice site.

Initially the musicians balanced academics and conventional career plans without any intention of turning professional. None had prior band experience, yet as they developed a distinctive sound blending traditional and progressive bluegrass with touches of country and rock, they recognized they had moved beyond casual jamming. By graduation, fiddler Nicky Sanders had come aboard, and the Steep Canyon Rangers were landing sufficient bookings to abandon day jobs and perform full-time.

Although occasional bluegrass covers appeared in their sets, original material soon emerged as the Rangers' core strength. Sharp, Humphrey, and Guggino each supplied songs that drew listeners from bluegrass, country, folk, blues, and jam-band circles. After leaving school the band toured extensively, appearing in folk and rock clubs alongside conventional bluegrass venues. Their debut album, Old Dreams and New Dreams, came out in 2001 on their own imprint. Mr. Taylor's New Home followed in 2002 via the independent Bonfire label, while the self-titled Steep Canyon Rangers became their first Rebel release in 2004. The next record, One Dime at a Time, was captured largely live in the studio, earned the IBMA Emerging Artist Award in 2006, and sent its title track to the top of the Bluegrass Unlimited chart.

Already familiar to jam-band listeners, the Steep Canyon Rangers strengthened that connection with a ragtime rendition of the Grateful Dead's "Don't Ease Me In." The track surfaced on Lovin' Pretty Women, an IBMA Album of the Year nominee, and Deep in the Shade in 2009 underscored their ongoing affinity for gospel. The members also maintained outside collaborations: in 2008 they worked with former Flatt & Scruggs vocalist Curly Seckler, and in 2009 comedian and banjo player Steve Martin enlisted the Rangers as his touring band behind The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo. Their appearance at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival that year reached a fresh audience of ex-hippies and boomers, and Martin remained for 2011's Rare Bird Alert, which included contributions from Paul McCartney and the Chicks. Nobody Knows You, the group's first Rounder album, arrived in 2012. Tell the Ones I Love followed in 2013, again on Rounder, produced by Larry Campbell and recorded primarily live at Levon Helm's studio in Woodstock, New York.

As their audience expanded, the Steep Canyon Rangers maintained a steady touring schedule both independently and alongside Martin. When Martin and songwriter Edie Brickell issued Love Has Come for You in 2013 and played select dates, the Rangers accompanied them, resulting in the concert document Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell Live issued in audio and video formats. In 2015 the band delivered its ninth album, Radio, produced by bluegrass veteran Jerry Douglas and introducing new sixth member percussionist Mike Ashworth. Martin's second studio project with the group, The Long-Awaited Album, appeared in September 2017; Out in the Open, the tenth studio album, produced by Joe Henry, followed in 2018. North Carolina Songbook, recorded live at Merlefest 2019, offered an eclectic collection of songs by noted Carolinians including Ola Belle Reed and Thelonious Monk. The 2020 release Be Still Moses united bluegrass and soul with assistance from the Asheville Symphony and Boyz II Men, while Arm in Arm, issued later that year, paired inventive arrangements with rooted songwriting and logged sixteen straight weeks on Billboard's Bluegrass Albums chart. The Steep Canyon Rangers returned in 2023 with Morning Shift, a wide-ranging collection anchored in the band's Appalachian folk origins.