Chuck Levy

Chuck Levy has earned the titles of Florida's Old-Time Banjo Champion, and Old-Time Fiddle Champion. He is equally at home on 5 and 6 string banjos (five strings plus a short string), whether fretted or fretless, playing clawhammer, two-finger up-picking, and minstrel styles. Chuck is also a respected banjo scholar who has visited Senegal and Gambia to investigate the African roots of the banjo. He learned to play the akonting (ekonting), a 3-string banjo ancestor, with Jola master musicians Remi Diatta, and Ekona Diatta. His scholarly work has been featured in the Old-Time Herald, Banjo Newsletter, and in the upcoming book, “Banjo Roots and Branches” edited by Robert Winans. Chuck has been honored with both the Thelma Boltin and the Ed Fleming Awards for his contributions to old-time music in Florida.  Chuck’s mastery has been recognized by Gold Tone, which has developed a 6-string banjo, the OT-6, to Chuck’s specifications.  http://www.goldtone.com/products/details/w/instrument/373/OT-6 ) . Chuck is a past president of both the Florida Banjo Society and the Florida State Fiddlers Association, and co-directs the Suwannee Banjo Camp with Ken Perlman, www.suwanneebanjocamp.com/ and the Stephen Foster Old-Time Music Weekend with Jim Strickland http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Foster-Old-Time-Music-Weekend/195008896686 . Chuck taught banjo at the Mars Hill College Blue Ridge Old-Time Music Week in 2011 and 2012, and at the Sparrow Music Camp in 2013 and 2014, and the Midwest Banjo Camp in 2014  https://sites.google.com/site/flmusiccamp/ .  Chuck is also active with the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine as a performer and as Chair of the Board of Directors.  http://arts.ufl.edu/centers/center-for-arts-in-medicine/. Chuck is featured in videos regarding the akonting/ekonting at http://shipsofthesea.org/video

 

Chuck teaches fiddle and banjo in Gainesville.  http://www.banjohangout.org/reviews/search.asp?m=m&v=9904&redir=true

Competitions:

  • 2014: Florida State Fiddlers Association Annual String Band Contest (Banjo) 1st Place:(Band: Presidential Sweet)
  • 2014: Florida State Fiddlers Association Annual String Band Contest (Fiddle) 2nd Place:(Band: Knights of Pamelot).
  • 2014: Florida State Fiddle Contest: 3nd Place
  • 2013: Florida State Banjo Contest, 1st Place
  • 2012; Florida Old-Time Music Championships Banjo Contest, 1st Place,
  • 2012: Florida Old-Time Music Championships Banjo Contest Fiddle Contest, 1st place.
  • 2012: Recipient of the Ed Fleming Award.
  • 2008: Longleaf String Band contest: 1st place:
  • 2008: Florida State Fiddle Contest: 2nd Place
  • 2007: Florida State Fiddlers Convention String Band Contest: 1st Place
  • 2006: Florida State Fiddle Contest; 2nd Place
  • 2005: Florida Old-Time Music Championships Banjo Contest 1st Place:
  • 2005: Recipient of the Thelma Boltin Award.
  • 2005: Florida State Banjo Contest 1st Place
  • 2005: Southeast Pickin' & Fiddlin'Contest: Old-Time Banjo 2nd Place:
  • 2005: Southeast Pickin' & Fiddlin' Contest: Old-Time Fiddle 3rd Place:
  • 2004: Florida State Fiddlers Association Annual String Band Contest (Fiddle) 1st Place:
  • 2004: Florida State Fiddle Contest 2nd Place:
  • 2004: Florida Old-Time Music Championships Banjo; 4th Place:
  • 2004: Florida State Banjo Contest 3rd Place:
  • 2001: Florida State Fiddlers Association Annual String Band Contest (Fiddle) 1st Place:
  • 2000: Florida State Fiddlers Association Annual String Band Contest (Banjo) 2nd Place .