Gena Britt is the banjo player in Sister Sadie, the all-female band that formed in Nashville in 2012. Sister Sadie won IBMA Vocal Group of the Year three years running and, in 2020, became the first all-female group to win IBMA Entertainer of the Year. In 2025 Britt, Kristin Scott Benson, and Alison Brown won IBMA Instrumental Recording of the Year for Ralph Stanley’s Ralph’s Banjo Special.
Why Britt matters
Britt was a founding member of the Daughters of Bluegrass and of Sister Sadie, a band that has won five IBMA group awards.
Life and career
Before Sister Sadie, Britt played banjo with New Vintage, Alecia Nugent, Petticoat Junction, Lou Reid and Carolina, and Alan Bibey and Grasstowne. She led her own Gena Britt Band and was a founding member of the Daughters of Bluegrass.
In December 2012 she joined fiddler Deanie Richardson, Tina Adair, Dale Ann Bradley, and Beth Lawrence for what was meant to be one show at the Station Inn in Nashville. They kept playing and became Sister Sadie. The band released Sister Sadie (2016), Sister Sadie II (2018), No Fear (2024), and All Will Be Well (2025), and earned two Grammy nominations for Best Bluegrass Album. They won IBMA Vocal Group of the Year in 2019, 2020, and 2021 and Entertainer of the Year in 2020. In 2025 her recording of Ralph’s Banjo Special with Kristin Scott Benson and Alison Brown won an IBMA award.
Playing style
Britt plays Scruggs-based banjo in bands built around singing, from Lou Reid and Carolina to Sister Sadie. She also plays traditional banjo tunes like Blackjack.
Influences and legacy
Britt has played beside Lou Reid, Alan Bibey, Deanie Richardson, and Dale Ann Bradley. Her 2025 award honors Ralph Stanley.
Signature tunes and songs
Ralph’s Banjo Special Blackjack Last Road Going Home, with Grasstowne.
Essential recordings
Sister Sadie (2016) Sister Sadie II (2018) No Fear, Sister Sadie (2024) Ralph’s Banjo Special, with Kristin Scott Benson and Alison Brown (2025)
Awards and honors
IBMA Vocal Group of the Year, Sister Sadie (2019, 2020, 2021) IBMA Entertainer of the Year, Sister Sadie (2020) IBMA Instrumental Recording of the Year, Ralph’s Banjo Special (2025)
Watch and listen
Britt, Kristin Scott Benson, and Alison Brown play Ralph’s Banjo Special.
What to learn from Britt
Learn Blackjack, a banjo tune she plays with friends in her video. The technique to steal is backing up harmony singing. Play quiet rolls under three-part harmony, and make sure the banjo never covers the voices.
Sources
Sister Sadie (band), Wikipedia International Bluegrass Music Awards, Wikipedia
Related players
See the banjo players hub and the bluegrass banjo guide for more pickers. Britt plays with Deanie Richardson in Sister Sadie and won a 2025 IBMA award with Kristin Scott Benson and Alison Brown.