SAN DIEGO — If your goal in life is to make the banjo cool again, winning a Grammy Award and teaming up with actor Steve Martin are two good ways to go. In this Zevely Zone, I went to La Jolla to visit the childhood home of a famous Bluegrass musician.
Alison Brown may not be a household name in San Diego but believe me, all of her neighbors in Nashville know her. Armed with the fastest fingers in the West, Alison travels the world on a musical mission.
"Everybody should play the banjo and the first chord is free," said Alison.
The Grammy Award winner was valedictorian at La Jolla High School. I asked her mother Barbara if she ever dreamed she'd raise a world-famous banjo player.
"No!" chuckled Barbara with a big laugh. She thought her daughter would grow up to become a doctor. "I remember the shock when she quit her job and joined a Bluegrass band and moved to Nashville," said Barbara.
Alison added, "The doctor thing didn't work out too well."
Instead of saving lives, Alison's reviving a style of music that America was built on. "At the end of the 1800's the banjo was America's most popular instrument and my mission is to make the banjo America's most popular instrument again," said Alison.
Twelve Bluegrass albums have led to a Grammy Award and 12 other Grammy nominations. Alison's recorded with legends like Willie Nelson, the Indigo Girls and Vince Gill. "I've known Vince since he was 19," said Alison.
Alison is an innovative banjo player known for taking the instrument far beyond its Appalachian roots by blending bluegrass and jazz influences into a tapestry that has caught the attention of The Wall Street Journal, CBS Sunday Morning and People.
She's been interviewed by Charles Osgood and appeared on the television show Hee Haw with Roy Clark and Allison Krauss.
So for any of you who still don't think the banjo is cool, Alison co-wrote a song with actor and comedian Steve Martin.
"Yes, that's cool right?" said Alison. Together they released their song Foggy Morning Breaking on her latest record. "I was delighted and Steve was over the moon when the tune went to number one on all of the Bluegrass Radio charts," said Alison. So much so, that they wrote a follow-up song that soared to number one as well.
Alison is the recipient of the USA Artists Fellowship in Music and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association. A pioneer among women in the music industry, Alison was the first female to win an Instrumentalist of the Year award from the IBMA.
"I could teach you to do this in five minutes," said Alison. Her love for the instrument paved the way for an induction into the American Banjo Museum's Hall of Fame.
"I'm seeing a banjo in your future, Jeff," said Alison. Although she has graced the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, the girl who grew up in Southern California will always be most comfortable in a backyard with a banjo on her knee.
Alison graduated from Harvard University. She lives in Nashville with her husband Garry. For more information about her music and upcoming concerts, click here.
WATCH: Grammy Award-winning San Diego banjo player Alison Brown talks fiddle tunes in 2021 with CBS 8: