Scott Vestal is a banjo player, producer, and banjo designer from Duncan, Oklahoma. He has played with Larry Sparks, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, the John Cowan Band, and the Sam Bush Band. He won IBMA Banjo Player of the Year in 1996, then again in 2020 and 2021. He won the Steve Martin Prize in 2017, and he popularized the “stealth” banjo, which hides the fifth-string tuning peg.
Why Vestal matters
Vestal brings a modern, melodic ear to bluegrass banjo, and banjo teachers build lessons around his licks. He also produced the annual Bluegrass instrumental series, which won IBMA Recorded Event of the Year in 1996. He also popularized the stealth banjo.
Life and career
Vestal grew up in Duncan, Oklahoma, in a musical family. His grandfather, fiddler Famon Self, taught him his first guitar chords, and Scott and his brother Curtis played festivals with him. Vestal got a banjo at 13 and by 15 was playing in T.J. Rogers’s family band. At 18 he played and recorded with Larry Sparks for a year. At 19 he moved to Texas and formed Southern Connection with Curtis and Russell Moore.
In 1985 Vestal and Moore joined Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, with Vestal replacing Terry Baucom. He stayed four years and five albums. He then formed Livewire with Wayne Benson, Robert Hale, and Ernie Sykes. In 1994 he moved to Nashville and formed Continental Divide with David Parmley. He shared IBMA Banjo Player of the Year with Sammy Shelor in 1996.
From 1998 to 2003 he played in the John Cowan Band. He released Millenia on Pinecastle in 2000. He later worked with Rock County, Longview, Shawn Camp, and Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time, and he joined the Sam Bush Band in 2006. He has played on records by Chris Thile, Aubrey Haynie, Barbara Lamb, and Jim Hurst. He won the Steve Martin Prize in 2017 and IBMA Banjo Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021.
Playing style
Vestal mixes melodic runs with Scruggs drive. Banjo teachers break down his descending melodic licks and lick progressions in their lessons. As a luthier, he popularized the stealth banjo, which hides the fifth-string tuning peg for a cleaner neck.
Influences and legacy
Vestal learned from his grandfather in a family that played bluegrass festivals. He played beside Larry Sparks, Russell Moore, Doyle Lawson, John Cowan, and Sam Bush. Many banjo teachers now build lessons around his licks.
Essential recordings
In Pursuit of Happiness (1992) Millenia (Pinecastle, 2000) Knee Deep in Bluegrass: The AcuTab Sessions, various artists (Rebel, 2000)
Awards and honors
IBMA Banjo Player of the Year, shared with Sammy Shelor (1996) IBMA Recorded Event of the Year, Bluegrass annual series, as producer (1996) Bluegrass Now Fan’s Choice Banjo Player of the Year (1998) Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass (2017) IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (2020) IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (2021)
Watch and listen
Vestal and Barry Waldrep play Shuckin’ the Corn at MerleFest in 2010.
What to learn from Vestal
Learn one of the Vestal licks that banjo teachers break down, like his descending melodic lick. Then put it in a tune you know. The technique to steal is the descending run. Use it to connect two chords in your break.
Sources
Scott Vestal, Wikipedia Vestal, Scott, BluegrassBios.com International Bluegrass Music Awards, Wikipedia
Related players
See the banjo players hub and the bluegrass banjo guide for more pickers. Vestal followed Terry Baucom in Quicksilver, shared the 1996 IBMA award with Sammy Shelor, and played with Russell Moore and Larry Sparks.