Pickin' his way to stardom
Bethesda Resident Moore Claims National Bluegrass Banjo ChampionshipBy GABE WELLS
Article Photos
BETHESDA - The greatest banjo player in the United States may very well be a 17-year-old senior at Union Local High School.
Bethesda resident Steven Moore claimed the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship in Winfield, Kan., last month and he took the top honors by outpicking Sonny Smith - who, by the way, is the regular banjo player at Dollywood.
Moore, who finished third in the same competition in 2006, was awarded a beautiful $6,000 Ome Megatone 200 Bluegrass Banjo for capturing this year's crown.
He was humble recently in discussing his accomplishment and whether his win earned him the distinction of being the country's best player.
"That's what the title suggests, but there are better banjo players than me," Moore said. "I personally know banjo players that are better than me."
Moore returned to classes at Union Local after the competition where he was greeted with congratulations on the school's entrance sign. His mother Nancy said the staff and students at Union Local have been very supportive of his efforts, and the family has appreciated the well wishes he's received.
Moore said he is appreciated at school, but he is not yet treated like a celebrity.
He couldn't be interviewed until he finished his physics test.
Moore said his family has traveled about 6,000 miles in his three trips to the banjo championship, but last week's triumph wasn't his first victory with his chosen instrument. He and his friend, guitarist Ryan Abercrombie, won the 2004 Starquest at the Capitol Music Hall. With that win, the pair got to perform at Jamboree In The Hills.
Moore became interested in the banjo at age 6 when he heard the instrument played on one of his mother's Christmas albums. He asked his mother what he was hearing, and she told him it was a banjo.
Upon listening to the same record the next holiday season, he again inquired.
Moore then told his mother he wanted to learn to play. The following fall at age 8 his parents gave him his first banjo.
"We bought him a cheap one right off," Nancy said. "It was used, and it cost $180."
Steven began taking banjo lessons at C.A. House Music from Ed Mahonen who earned a reputation as a fine banjo player as a member of local favorites, The Short Crick Flat Pickers. According to Nancy Moore, Mahonen said there was nothing more he could teach her son after five years of lessons.
The apparent prodigy still takes lessons every few weeks in Parkersburg under the guidance of Butch Osborne.
In addition to his banjo teachers, Moore said banjo greats Bela Fleck, Alison Brown, Scott Vestal and Noam Pikelny are his influences.
He practices as much as three hours each day. His mother said Moore's banjo skills are the combination of hard work and "a gift."
Moore believes his ability is more gift than effort.
"It comes pretty naturally," he said. "I think for the most part I can go without practicing and just play things. I'm pretty lucky like that. I'm the kind that can study for a test for five minutes and do well on it."
His banjo collection now stands at eight. Along with the banjo he won last week, a Stealth banjo, which he said is one of only about 300 made, and the instrument he won for placing third in the 2006 contest are his favorites.
His first banjo, however, is no longer part of his collection. It was donated to a bluegrass group at Wheeling Park High School. Moore is also now a banjo teacher.
"I'm actually giving lessons to a 6-year-old student, and there are others interested," he said.
But Moore is approaching a crossroads. He has to decide whether to pursue music as a profession. Moore, who is one the top 10 students in his class, is considering Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, to further his education.
He is concerned that life as a musician would be a difficult one. He is interested in pursuing a career in medicine and possibly becoming an optometrist.
"I'll probably get a real job," Moore said. "With music, you're on the road all the time, and you live gig to gig. I don't know. It's not reliable. It's a risky business.
"If I take all the pre-med classes I need to, I could go into anything," he added. "I have my undergrad years to decide what I need to do."
His mother said she would love for her son to play music professionally.
"Eventually (I hope) that he would be a studio musician because I think that's what he really wants to do," she said.
Moore won't return to the banjo championship anytime soon. Winners must sit out five years before again competing.
Moore lives in Bethesda with his mother, father Louis and brothers Mitchell, 14, and Tommy,12.
"My parents have been a tremendous influence. They've been supportive of everything I've ever done, and a lot of kids don't have that," he said.
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Katabatic
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10-06-08 9:30 AM
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Great job Steven. We are all very proud of you and your accomplishments In Kansas. God bless you and may you have many more successes in life.
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atoddh
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10-06-08 2:19 AM
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It is unfortunate that Jamoboree USA is defunct as this rising star could have been an attractive addition to the Jamboree family.Many stars were made in Wheeling at Jamboree USA.
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atoddh
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10-06-08 2:18 AM
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It is unfortunate that Jamoboree USA is defunct as this rising star could have been an attractive addition to the Jamboree family.Many stars were made in Wheeling at Jamboree USA.
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