Abigail Washburn

Nettwerk唱片公司的簽約歌手Abigail Washburn（王愛平）來自佛蒙特州，最近移居至田納西州的納什維爾。Abigail從未停止過歌唱，曲風(fēng)則由原先的無伴奏福音歌曲、靈歌和雷鬼轉(zhuǎn)為藍草和傳統(tǒng)民歌。Abigail曾學(xué)習(xí)過幾年中文，她也在中國住過幾年。同時她還嘗試將美國傳統(tǒng)民歌翻譯成中文進行演唱，并為此創(chuàng)作了一些中文的歌曲。
　Abigail的第一張專輯《Song of the Travelling Daughter》（《游女吟》）于2005年8月在北美發(fā)行。《游女吟》是Abigail、Bela Fleck和Reid Scelza一起制作的。其中收錄了她個人重新編配的傳統(tǒng)歌曲以及自己創(chuàng)作的歌曲，歌詞既有中文也有英文。目前她正與Uncle Earl民樂團在美國各地進行巡演。在她最新獨唱專輯《游女吟/Here in This Room》中共收錄十首歌，有原創(chuàng)作品和老歌翻唱，參與制作的樂手有Casey Driessen、Amanda Kowalski、Tyler Grant、Tim O'Brien、Russ Barenberg和Megan Gregory。
　　自從《游女吟》專輯發(fā)表以后，很多北美媒體都對其進行了大量報道，其中包括CNN（有線新聞網(wǎng)）、美國公共電臺等大型國際性媒體。她的中文歌被中文電視真人秀《跨越美國大挑戰(zhàn)》節(jié)目選用。她還應(yīng)阿巴拉契亞Picking協(xié)會之邀和班卓琴大師Bela Fleck共同創(chuàng)作并錄制了一首對唱歌曲。她和Beau Stapleton（Blue Merle樂隊）在2004 Merle Watson紀念音樂節(jié)中獲得了“藍草音樂最佳作曲”二等獎，參賽曲目為《Rockabye Dixie》。
　　2004年11月，Abigail和三位美國優(yōu)秀音樂家來到中國。他們在北京、上海的酒吧進行了多場精彩的交流演出，并受到兩個音樂學(xué)院的邀請（北京的迷笛音樂學(xué)校、上海音樂學(xué)院）為這兩所大學(xué)的學(xué)生上大師課。他們也在上海師范大學(xué)、西華大學(xué)（成都）、成都信息工程學(xué)院、重慶西南師范大學(xué)進行了交流演出。在北京他們攝制了一張DVD，介紹班卓琴的演奏技藝和阿巴拉契亞音樂的發(fā)展歷史。Abigail與幾位中國現(xiàn)代、傳統(tǒng)樂手取得聯(lián)系，約定有機會與他們一起演奏。中國多家媒體對她在中國的巡演進行了大量報道，他們的第一次中國之行非常成功。今年他們將再次造訪中國，為了能與更多的人進行交流和展示，安排了多場交流巡演。他們將為更多的觀眾帶來實實在在的國際文化交流的機會。
The rustic, poignant,and wide-ranging sounds of singer/songwriter and banjo player Abigail Washburn appear so genuine and natural, they must come from a person who grew up surrounded by folk and bluegrass. The way Washburn came to this music is much more complicated, however, as it involves China, lost banjos, and the rock group Collective Soul. Although Washburn grew up singing, she had no longing to become a professional musician, and part-time gigs singing backup in reggae, gospel, and R&B bands were nothing more than fun activities. But a trip to China in 1996 changed all that. Picking up the native language faster than she imagined and falling in love with Chinese culture began to change the young Washburn's priorities. Reconsidering the culture of her own homeland, Washburn bought a banjo and decided to explore the rich heritage of folk and bluegrass music. Mastery of the instrument didn't happen right away, and fans of Washburn's banjo style might be shocked to learn she went years without even touching the instrument she had bought. Later, she was living in Vermont and working as an activist when her good friends the Cleary Brothers lost their banjo player after scheduling a tour of Alaska. Blowing the dust off her banjo, Washburn began a crash course in playing the instrument, joined the Cleary Brothers, and was soon off on her first tour.
Performing in front of an audience fit like a glove, and soon Washburn was assuming lead vocals as well. With the tour completed, Nashville was the budding musician's next stop. While living there, she continued her banjo studies and began to write songs. In 2004, she met Jing Li Jurca, who would help her write her first song in Chinese, as well as K.C. Groves, a founding member of the old-timey string band Uncle Earl. Washburn joined the second incarnation of Uncle Earl and appeared on the band's 2005 album, She Waits for Night. Keeping her solo options open, Washburn then entered her song "Rockabye Dixie" into the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest. The tune took second place and attracted the attention of Nettwerk Records. After signing with the label, Washburn played a mini-tour of China before returning home to record her debut with such accomplished musicians as Béla Fleck, Jordan McConnell of the Duhks, and Ryan Hoyle of Collective Soul. The resulting Song of the Traveling Daughter appeared in 2005, and Washburn returned to the Asian continent to tour as part of the Sparrow Quartet (which also comprised Fleck, fiddle virtuoso Casey Driessen, and cellist Ben Sollee). The U.S. government sponsored the tour, making Washburn the first musical artist to receive such an honor. The Sparrow Quartet joined her on the trip, and the group explored a blend of eastern and western folk traditions on their 2008 effort, Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet.