Bio

 Steve comes from a very musical family (eldest of 8) who throughout his childhood would all travel to various session and folk festivals across the country, which introduced him to different types of music. He started playing violin at age 6 but realised very early on that he wasn’t any good at it so knocked music on the head for several years and started playing with toys like the other normal children in his street. It wasn’t until he was 14 years old that he found an old banjo lying at the back of a cupboard in his parents house that he started to mess around with it and eventually tried to play. He very quickly grew to love the sound of the banjo and when his father realised he was serious about learning he asked his friend Danny McAleese (a five string / tenor banjo player from East Kilbride) to give him some lessons and set him off on the right track. He took to the banjo very quickly and within 6 months of playing (and still only 15 years old) won the prestigious Edale Banjo Contest. No mean feat for a kid so young but to add to his achievement, two years later he went on to win the guitar contest too. He would play at all the bluegrass and folk festival jam sessions well into the night and was influenced by some great UK banjo players such as Hugo Niven, Rob Mairs and Bill Foster who were all generous enough to give him their time and direction on many occasions. From the age of 15 until he was about 18 he played with his Father Gerry, Sister Susan and Brother Michael in a family Bluegrass Band called “Alive & Pickin’” who performed on stage at many of these festivals whereas youngsters they jammed. They traveled the length and breadth of the country with numerous TV and Radio appearances on the way building a strong following of fans. One of the highlights of Steve’s banjo life was when at 16 he had the chance to play with his biggest influence, Bela Fleck. He jammed with the banjo master and picked his brains on a few occasions, which had been a life long ambition achieved when he was still very young. In the years that followed he met several other banjo players traveling from the US that have had a major influence on his playing such as Tony Furtado and Ralph Stanley. Now he is currently putting his spin on a relatively unexplored instrument with the dynamic and innovative group "Green Goblin"!

Currently Playing...Maiden Of The Waters