Abigail Washburn

Abigail Washburn is a claw hammer banjo player from Illinois--claw hammer is the term used to describe banjo players who use a down-picking motion to play instead of the standard way of rolling the fingers up along the strings. Song of the Travelling Daughter, her 2005 debut, was produced by Bela Fleck, who she later formed the band Sparrow Quartet with. Her smoky voice lends itself well to her folk songs, especially when she holds out her delicate legato notes, allowing the listener to hear the voice fade into a whisper.