Bela Fleck

Description: Contemporary bluegrass banjo player and producer

Comparisons: Bela Fleck is a force all his own, integrating the atmospherics of smooth jazz with contemporary bluegrass banjo work. One could easily compare Fleck with other banjo legends like Charlie Poole and Earl Scruggs, but then that comparison would be based only on the instrument they play and not on stylistics at all. If you like Bela Fleck, you should check out Abigail Washburn, Tim O'Brien, and Tony Trischka.

Starter CDs: Drive (Rounder, 1988). Three Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (Warner Bros., 1993). The Bluegrass Sessions: Tales From The Acoustic Planet, Part 2 (Warner Bros., 1999).

Bela Fleck Trivia: Bela Fleck studied French horn at New York City's High School of Music and Art.

Bela Fleck Biography: Bela Fleck was born in July, 1958, and named for Hungarian composer Bela Bartok. He started playing banjo when he was 15, but later studied French horn at the New York City High School of Music and Art.

After high school, Fleck moved to Boston, where he joined the Tasty Licks before releasing his first solo album in 1979 and starting the Flecktones nine years later. In the interim between the two bands, he also performed with Sam Bush's Newgrass Revival and his own Spectrum: The Band.

Despite his tenure with both bands, it was his 1988 Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album for his solo effort Drive that drove him to start the Flecktones with bassist Victor Wooten, harmonica player Howard Levy, and percussionist Roy Wooten. Levy would eventually leave the band, to be replaced by Jeff Coffin on the saxophone.

Since then, Bela Fleck, with and without the Flecktones, has received seven Grammy awards and 23 nominations. His collaborative work has brought him into the studio with artists ranging from Dave Matthews Band to Uncle Earl and Tony Trischka. In all, Fleck has made 11 solo records and 12 albums with the Flecktones. He joined young banjo vituoso Abigail Washburn in 2006 as part of the Sparrow Quartet touring Asia. He's also had a hand in at least 25 other recordings.