Adam Steffey (born 1965) is a mandolin player from Virginia and East Tennessee. He has won IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year 11 times, more than any other player. He played in Alison Krauss and Union Station in the 1990s, co-founded Mountain Heart in 1998 and later the Boxcars, and has recorded with Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Kenny Chesney, and many others. He has won five Grammy Awards.
Why Steffey matters
Steffey is the session and band mandolinist other players study for taste. His chop is famous for its power and timing, and his breaks are tasteful, bluesy, and right for the song. He plays traditional bluegrass and old-time music with equal ease. Between 2002 and 2014 he owned the IBMA mandolin award, winning it in eleven of thirteen years. He has also taught mandolin at East Tennessee State University and in private lessons.
Life and career
Steffey was born on November 24, 1965, and grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1975 his family moved to Kingsport, Tennessee. As a boy he went to the Carter Family Fold every weekend and fell for the music there. He started mandolin at 15, taking lessons from Audey Ratliff and later from Jack Tottle.
He played in the Lonesome River Band and then joined Alison Krauss and Union Station, recording on Every Time You Say Goodbye (1992) and So Long So Wrong (1997). In 1998 he co-founded Mountain Heart with Barry Abernathy, Steve Gulley, and Jim VanCleve. He spent time with the gospel band the Isaacs and with the Dan Tyminski Band. With Ron Stewart, Keith Garrett, John Bowman, and Harold Nixon he founded the Boxcars, whose first album came out in 2010.
He won IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. His solo albums include Grateful (2001), One More for the Road (2009), New Primitive (2013), and Here to Stay (2016). He later led the Highland Travelers. When that band broke up in 2018 he said he might leave music, but in January 2019 he joined Volume Five on mandolin. He finished a degree at ETSU in 2014 and taught there for years.
Playing style
Steffey’s chop is the first thing players notice. It is loud, short, and placed right on the beat, and it drives a band like a snare drum. His breaks are built from Monroe-style blues licks, double stops, and slides, with a strong sense of melody. He leaves space and never overplays.
He is known for old-time music as well as bluegrass. On old-time tunes his sound opens up, with more open strings ringing under the melody.
Influences and legacy
Steffey learned from Audey Ratliff and Jack Tottle and grew up on the Carter Family music at the Fold. He has played beside Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Ron Stewart, Barry Abernathy, Steve Gulley, and Jim VanCleve.
He appeared on Jimmy Gaudreau’s 1994 album of young mandolin players, and he played on Sierra Hull’s 2008 album Secrets. Hull went on to win the IBMA award herself.
Signature tunes and songs
Daybreak in Dixie Jerusalem Ridge Went Back to My Old Home Today.
Essential recordings
Every Time You Say Goodbye, with Alison Krauss and Union Station (1992) So Long So Wrong, with Alison Krauss and Union Station (1997) Grateful (Mountain Home, 2001) One More for the Road (Sugar Hill, 2009) New Primitive (Organic, 2013)
Awards and honors
IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) Five Grammy Awards
Watch and listen
Steffey and Sierra Hull trade breaks on Daybreak in Dixie. Two IBMA winners, side by side.
What to learn from Steffey
Work on your chop until it sounds like Steffey’s. Use a heavy pick, grip a closed chord, strike it hard on beats two and four, and release the pressure the instant the chord sounds. Record yourself behind a guitar and listen for a short, dry “chuck” with no ring. A great chop is the most valuable thing a mandolin player can bring to a band.
Sources
Adam Steffey, Wikipedia Mandolin Player of the Year, IBMA recipients by year Adam Steffey is back, with Volume Five, Bluegrass Today Mountain Heart, Wikipedia The Boxcars, Wikipedia
Related players
See the mandolin players hub and the mandolin guide. Steffey took the IBMA award after Ronnie McCoury and Chris Thile. Sierra Hull won it after him.