Sept. 6-New York Times Article tells of Sammy Shelor of Meadows of Dan, VA winning the Steve Martin prize. See this article.

September 6, 2011, 4:00 pm Steve Martin Honors Another Banjo Player By DAVE ITZKOFF Though it hasn’t been a great year, economically, for almost anyone, Steve Martin continues to do what he can to spare bluegrass musicians the worst of the lingering downturn. On Tuesday Mr. Martin, the actor, comedian and cultural omnivore, announced that Sammy Shelor, the banjo player and leader of the Lonesome River Band, is the second winner of his Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, which comes with $50,000. In a telephone interview Mr. Martin said that Mr. Shelor – who has been named the International Bluegrass Music Association’s banjo player of the year four times – did not necessarily need further recognition from his musical peers. “He already is somebody,� Mr. Martin said. Comparing Mr. Shelor to Noam Pikelny, the musician who was the first winner of the Steve Martin Prize, Mr. Martin said Mr. Pikelny “represented a little more avant-garde-type player, with jazz influences, although he came from bluegrass.� He added: “Sammy Shelor represents more of a traditional, Earl Scruggs-type influenced player, who’s very hard-core bluegrass. But Sammy Shelor influenced a lot of players. In fact, accidentally, I found out that our last winner was heavily influenced by Sammy Shelor. He was the No. 1 influence in his youth.�