Banjo player Shelor receives Steve Martin Prize

Shelor will receive an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 plus a bronze sculpture created expressly for the prize by Eric Fischl.

The Scruggs-styled player is has been honored four times by the International Bluegrass Music Association as Banjo Player of the Year.

The Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass was created to bring recognition to an individual or group for outstanding accomplishment in the field of five-string banjo or bluegrass music. The prize is awarded to a person or group who has given us a fresh appreciation of this music, either through artistry, composition, innovation or preservation. The winner should be professional or semi-professional, should be currently active in their careers and deserving of a wider audience.

The award is determined through a private process by a board consisting of Scruggs, Pete Wernick, Tony Trischka, Anne Stringfield, Alison Brown, Neil V. Rosenberg, Béla Fleck and Martin. The award is funded personally by the Steve Martin Charitable Foundation.

Shelor and the Lonesome River Band will perform with Steve Martin on "Late Show With David Letterman" on Thursday, Nov. 3.