Tony Furtado (born 1967) won the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship at Winfield, Kansas, in 1987 and again in 1991. He toured with Laurie Lewis and made six albums for Rounder, starting with Swamped in 1990, with guests like Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas. Since the late 1990s he has added slide guitar, singing, and songwriting to his banjo, and he is also a sculptor.
Why Furtado matters
Furtado is a two-time Winfield champion who took his banjo into blues, jazz, and roots songwriting. His later work shows how banjo technique carries over to slide guitar and fingerpicking.
Life and career
Furtado was born on October 18, 1967, in Pleasanton, California. He took up the banjo at 12, inspired by The Beverly Hillbillies and a sixth-grade music report. He studied music and art at California State, Hayward. In 1987 he won the Winfield banjo contest and then toured with Laurie Lewis.
Rounder released Swamped in 1990. Over six albums for the label he worked with Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Stuart Duncan, and Mike Marshall. He won Winfield a second time in 1991 and recorded the Rounder Banjo Extravaganza with Tony Trischka and Tom Adams. His recording of I Will with Alison Krauss appeared on her collection Now That I’ve Found You. In the late 1990s, drawn to Ry Cooder, David Lindley, and Taj Mahal, he added slide guitar and songwriting and formed the Tony Furtado Band. In 2002 he formed a jazz group, the American Gypsies.
Playing style
Furtado plays progressive three-finger banjo. In his D’Addario video he shows how his guitar fingerpicking grew out of banjo technique. He also plays bottleneck slide guitar and makes his own slides.
Influences and legacy
Furtado played beside Laurie Lewis, Alison Krauss, Tony Trischka, Tom Adams, and Stuart Duncan. He played John Hardy with Japanese banjo player Yoshihiro Arita, the 1985 Winfield champion.
Signature tunes and songs
Moonshoes Greenheart Portlandia John Hardy, with Yoshihiro Arita.
Essential recordings
Swamped (Rounder, 1990) Rounder Banjo Extravaganza, with Tony Trischka and Tom Adams (Rounder) Full Circle (Rounder, 1994) Roll My Blues Away (Rounder, 1997)
Awards and honors
National Bluegrass Banjo Championship, Winfield, first place (1987) National Bluegrass Banjo Championship, Winfield, first place (1991)
Watch and listen
Furtado plays Moonshoes at WNCW.
What to learn from Furtado
Learn Portlandia from BanjoTuneWeekly’s video of Furtado playing it. The technique to steal is crossing over. Take a banjo roll you know well and try it on a guitar with your fingers. Furtado built a second career that way.
Sources
Tony Furtado, Wikipedia Furtado, Tony, BluegrassBios.com Walnut Valley Festival winners archive, alphabetical (PDF)
Related players
See the banjo players hub and the bluegrass banjo guide for more pickers. Furtado recorded with Tony Trischka and Tom Adams, and won Winfield twice, as did Lynn Morris.