Will Keys (left) performs with Doug Dorschug at the 2003 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC.

Will Keys passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 4, 2005. Will was considered to be one of the best oldtime banjo pickers in the country. The National Council for the Traditional Arts included him in its Masters of the Banjo tours in 1993, and the National Endowment for the Arts honored him with a National Heritage Fellowship in 1996. Will had a two-finger style that was unique. According to his website ... it was more melodic than clawhammer style, but much less "technical" than three-finger bluegrass picking.

Will was born and raised in the hills of East Tennessee, growing up in the Blackley Creek community of Washington County. His trademark was the derby hat he always wore when he performed. His brother, Jay, is reported to have strung an old banjo from a screen door and gave it to Will to learn to play. Will Keys is gone but will be remembered through his music.

For more information, visit his website [1].

Click here [1] to read a brief biography of Will Keys.