Starts at $50
Hailing from both the Appalachian and Piedmont regions of North Carolina, the Rangers have long held traditional bluegrass paramount, while possessing an exceptional ability to bring it down the mountain, and to incorporate 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.
The Rangers are made up of Graham Sharp on banjo and vocals; Mike Guggino on mandolin/mandola and vocals; Nicky Sanders on fiddle and vocals; Mike Ashworth on drums and vocals; Barrett Smith on bass, guitar, and vocals; and Aaron Burdett on guitar and vocals. Steep Canyon Rangers have been on a journey that is uniquely their own. The band started in college at UNC-Chapel Hill, then dove head first into bluegrass in its most traditional form. Over the years they have risen to the top of the bluegrass genre headlining top festivals such as Merlefest and Grey Fox Bluegrass. They were ultimately discovered by Steve Martin, famous actor and banjo player. Martin has taken the Rangers on a decade-long tour introducing them to hundreds of thousands of new fans and giving them prime time TV exposure. This helped Steep Canyon Rangers become the most recognizable modern name in bluegrass music. The band has continued to tour extensively on their own, without Martin, and they have expanded their genre into country, jam, and Americana. The Rangers are big players in the bluegrass/country and Americana scene today. They are often compared to predecessors The Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and the modern Zac Brown Band.
Over the band’s esteemed career, the three-time Grammy nominees have released 14 studio albums and three collaborative albums with actor and banjoist Steve Martin. They were 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 2012’s Rare Bird and 2020’s North Carolina Songbook garnered nominations in the same category.
*Donors of $500 or more to the 2024 Strings Annual Fund are granted early ticket access.