Deering Is Banjo Of Choice For Grammy Artists

It is about 3pm on a sunny Thursday afternoon when our Artist Relations liason Carolina Bridges gets a call from Taylor Swift's tour management team who ask whether it is okay for Taylor to draw on her banjo head and if so, can they have a spare head just in case Taylor doesn't like the finished result?

"Of course she can!” Carolina replies. It is at this point that we hear the news that Taylor Swift will be playing her hit song “Mean” at the 54th Grammy Awards Show in Los Angeles and that she will be playing her Boston 6 string model! You can imagine the buzz this created around the office. The song went on to win two Grammy Awards that night, but it was the performance that really stole the show which featured all her band members in old style dress and an ever impressive high production set decked out in vintage ornaments that evoked the countryesque sound of the song. The Boston B6 looked fantastic as she slung it low, her personal graffiti

encompassing a series of smaller designs which centered around a large “13” - her lucky number. The performance was enough to bring the entire audience to their feet for a standing ovation which even caught Taylor herself unawares.

Later in the evening, a tribute to Glenn Campbell was kicked off by Deering artists and Best New Band nominees, The Band Perry (Neil Perry plays a Calico) who alongside country singer Blake Shelton performed a version of John Hartford’s “Gentle on my Mind”. Blake then sung a verse of “Southern Nights” before introducing the man of the hour who treated a very excited audience to a rendition of “Rhinestone Cowboy”, supported by his band which included his daughter Ashley Campbell who was also playing a Deering Calico banjo.

Deering banjos were not just limited to artists performing at the Grammys. Lady Antebellum took home “Country Album of the Year” honors and join Taylor Swift as a fan of the Boston 6 string. Meanwhile, banjo ambassador Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers were nominated for Best Bluegrass Album for Rare Bird Alert. Steve himself is the proud owner of a personalized Clawgrass model, while Graham Sharpe, banjo player for the Steep Canyon Rangers is currently on the road with a Deering Deluxe.

Brit folk rockers and Deering favorites Mumford & Sons received Best Rock Album, Best Rock Performance, Song of the Year and Record of the Year nominations for The Cave which heavily features the fast paced picking of banjo player Winston Marshall who is enjoying his Eagle II, Vega Old Tyme Wonder and Goodtime Tenor models.

And a Grammy awards show wouldn’t be complete without mentioning long time Deering artist and all round banjo wizard Bela Fleck, who continued his Grammy success when he won Best Instrumental Composition for the track “Life in Eleven”. This is the 14th Grammy nod for Bella, and with 30 nominations throughout his career, he has been nominated in more different categories than any other artist. Bela, of course is famous for playing his Deering Crossfire model.

Deering would like to extend a huge congratulation to all of our award winning and nominated artists and wish them all the continued success in 2012 and beyond.