Eric Hardin is a flatpicker and banjo player from Warrensville, in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina. He won the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship at Winfield, Kansas, in 2004. Twenty years later, in 2024, he won the National Flatpicking Championship there. He has placed in the top three at Winfield six times on the two instruments.
Why Hardin matters
Two Winfield titles two decades apart, on two instruments, is a rare record. Hardin also won the guitar contest at the Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention in 2024 and 2026. For a jammer, his playing is a lesson in fitting the song. Adam Steffey said his solos stay fresh without going over the top.
Life and career
Hardin comes from northwestern North Carolina. Contest records list him from Warrensville and West Jefferson. He got his first banjo as a birthday gift around 1999 and learned from Steve Lewis, the Winfield champion from nearby Jefferson. He works installing and finishing hardwood floors.
He placed second in the Winfield banjo contest in 2003 and won it in 2004, at age 19. He played banjo in The Troubadours and released a solo album, One Good Reason, in the fall of 2010. The record has twelve tracks of banjo standards and Bill Monroe tunes, with Adam Steffey, Rob Ickes, and Jim VanCleve among the players.
Hardin turned to the flatpick guitar contest at Winfield and placed third in 2009 and 2016. He took third in banjo in 2017. In 2024 he won the flatpick championship and was a runner-up in the banjo finals the same weekend. His prize was a Preston Thompson D-MA guitar. At Galax he placed third in guitar in 2015, first in 2024, third in banjo in 2025, and first in guitar again in 2026.
Playing style
Hardin’s contest tune is Whiskey Before Breakfast. He has played it in contest rounds for years, including the 2022 Wayne Henderson Guitar Contest. His right hand is strong and even, and he keeps the melody clear at contest tempo. On banjo his contest tunes include Hacks Breakdown, Reuben, and Fireball Mail.
He has played guitars built by Wayne Henderson, including a duet with Allen Shadd on St. Anne’s Reel. His Winfield prizes include a Deering Legacy banjo (2004), a Gallagher GA-70 Special guitar (2016), and the 2024 Thompson guitar.
Influences and legacy
Steve Lewis taught Hardin banjo. The two compete against each other at Galax, where Hardin finished ahead of Lewis in 2024 and 2026. He has recorded with Adam Steffey, Rob Ickes, and Jim VanCleve, and has played alongside Allen Shadd.
Signature tunes and songs
Whiskey Before Breakfast St. Anne’s Reel Hacks Breakdown Fireball Mail.
Essential recordings
One Good Reason (2010)
Awards and honors
National Flatpicking Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, first place (2024) National Flatpicking Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, third place (2009, 2016) National Bluegrass Banjo Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, first place (2004) National Bluegrass Banjo Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, second place (2003) National Bluegrass Banjo Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, third place (2017) Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention, guitar, first place (2024, 2026) Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention, guitar, third place (2015) Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention, bluegrass banjo, third place (2025) Wayne Henderson Guitar Contest, second place (2022)
Watch and listen
Hardin plays Whiskey Before Breakfast at the 2022 Wayne Henderson Guitar Contest, where he took second. Watch how he keeps the melody on top through the B part.
Here is Hardin on banjo with Hacks Breakdown in a 2009 contest round that took first place.
What to learn from Hardin
Learn Whiskey Before Breakfast. It is the tune he brings to contests, and every jam plays it. The technique to steal is his restraint. Play the melody clean at a tempo you can hold, add one variation per part, and stop there. That is what judges and jam leaders reward.
Sources
Winners archive, alphabetical, Walnut Valley Festival Eric Hardin, Pickers Paradise Eric Hardin, One Good Reason, Bluegrass Today Walnut Valley Championships 2024, Bluegrass Today 2016 winners at Walnut Valley Festival, Bluegrass Today Galax results for 2015, Bluegrass Today Winners from the 88th annual Old Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Bluegrass Today 2025 Galax Old Fiddlers Convention results, Bluegrass Today 2026 Galax Old Fiddlers Convention results, Bluegrass Today
Related players
See the guitar players hub and the guitar guide for more flatpickers. Hardin learned from Steve Lewis, who won Winfield in 2016 with Hardin in third. Allen Shadd has played Henderson guitars beside him. Luke Lovejoy took third the year Hardin won, and Ian Ly won the year before.