View source for Béla Fleck

{{Short description|American banjo player (born 1958)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Béla Fleck
| image             = Belafleck.jpg
| alt               = bespectacled man in shirtsleeves playing banjo
| caption           = Fleck performing on February 9, 2007
| birth_name        = Béla Anton Leoš Fleck
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1958|07|10}}
| birth_place       = New York City, U.S.
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Jazz]]|[[jazz fusion]]|[[bluegrass music|bluegrass]]|[[Folk music|folk]]|[[classical music|classical]]|[[world music|world]]|[[folk rock]]}}
| discography       = [[Béla Fleck discography]]
| occupation        = Musician, songwriter, composer
| instrument        = Banjo
| years_active      = 1976–present
| current_member_of = [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones]], [[Sparrow Quartet]]
| past_member_of    = [[New Grass Revival]], Tasty Licks, Spectrum
| label             = [[Rounder Records|Rounder]], [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]], [[Sony Classical]], [[Rhino Records|Rhino]]
| website         = {{URL|belafleck.com/}}
}}

'''Béla Anton Leoš Fleck''' (born July 10, 1958) is an American [[banjo]] player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, playing music from bluegrass, jazz, classical, rock and various world music genres.<ref name="Rhapsody">{{cite web|url=http://www.rhapsody.com/bela-fleck |title=Bela Fleck |publisher=Rhapsody |access-date=August 8, 2013}}</ref> He is best known for his work with the bands [[New Grass Revival]] and [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones]].<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Béla Fleck |title=Contemporary Musicians |volume=47 |location=Detroit |publisher=[[Gale (publisher)|Gale]]|year=2004 |access-date=March 12, 2015|url=http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=BIC1&action=e&catId=GALE%7CAAA000198399&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CK1608004009&source=Bookmark&u=fairfax_main&jsid=afadc114f2805461671ff52d719b3067|id=Gale Document Number: <nowiki>GALE|K1608004009</nowiki>}} Biography in Context.</ref> Fleck has won 17 [[Grammy Awards]] and been nominated 39 times.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 19, 2019|title=Béla Fleck|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/bela-fleck/11488|access-date=September 3, 2020|website=GRAMMY.com|language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, he was inducted into the [[International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame]] as a member of New Grass Revival.

==Early life and career==
Born into a Jewish family in [[New York City]],<ref name="Forward">{{cite news |last=Schleier |first=Curt |title=How A Jewish Kid From The Upper West Side Became The World’s Best Banjoist |url=https://forward.com/culture/music/413972/bela-fleck-banjoist-how-jewish-kid-from-upper-west-side-won-22-grammys/ |newspaper=[[The Forward]] |date=November 9, 2018 }}</ref> Béla Anton Leoš Fleck was named after three [[classical music|classical composers]] his father admired:<ref name=Forward /> the Hungarian [[Béla Bartók]], the Austrian [[Anton Webern]], and the Czech [[Leoš Janáček]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Impostor |url=http://www.listenmusicculture.com/interviews/bela-fleck |website=Listen Music & Culture |access-date=March 28, 2019}}</ref> The little boy was just one year old when his father left the family, and Bela didn't meet him until he was in his 40s.<ref name=Forward />

Fleck was drawn to the [[banjo]] at a young age when he heard [[Earl Scruggs]] play the [[theme song]] for ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'' television show,<ref name="Tippett">{{cite web|last1=Tippett|first1=Krista|title=Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn – Truth, Beauty, Banjo|url=https://onbeing.org/programs/bela-fleck-abigail-washburn-truth-beauty-banjo/|website=On Being|access-date=June 3, 2017|date=November 24, 2016}}</ref> and when he heard "[[Dueling Banjos]]" by [[Eric Weissberg]] and [[Steve Mandell]] on the radio. At the age of 15, while visiting his grandparents in New Jersey, he received his first banjo, which his grandfather had found at a garage sale.<ref name=Forward /><ref name="Brennan">{{cite web | last1 = Brennan | first1 = Sandra |title=Béla Fleck|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/b%C3%A9la-fleck-mn0000151290/biography|website=AllMusic|access-date=June 3, 2017}}</ref> During the train ride home, a man who was waiting for the train tuned the banjo for him, and suggested he learn to play from a book called ''How to Play the Five String Banjo'', by [[Pete Seeger]].<ref name=Forward /><ref name="American">{{cite web|title=American Roots Music: Oral Histories – Bela Fleck|url=https://www.pbs.org/americanrootsmusic/pbs_arm_oralh_belafleck.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011105001256/http://www.pbs.org/americanrootsmusic/pbs_arm_oralh_belafleck.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 5, 2001|website=PBS.org|access-date=June 3, 2017}}</ref> Fleck attended the [[High School of Music & Art]] in New York City, where he played [[French horn]] until he flunked and was transferred to the choir. He spent most of his time on the banjo; he studied the book ''Bluegrass Banjo'' by Pete Wernick, and took lessons from [[Erik Darling]], Marc Horowitz, and [[Tony Trischka]].<ref name="Torkington">{{cite web | last1 = Torkington | first1 = Nathan | title = Interview with Bela | url = http://www.frii.com/~gnat/bela/bio/gnat-interview-1.html | website = Wayback Machine | access-date = June 3, 2017 | date = February 21, 1999 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19990221031858/http://www.frii.com/~gnat/bela/bio/gnat-interview-1.html | archive-date = February 21, 1999 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

After graduating from high school, he moved to [[New York City]] and became a member of the bluegrass group Tasty Licks, with whom he recorded two albums. He released his debut solo album, ''Crossing the Tracks'' (1979), and it was chosen Best Overall Album by the readers of ''Frets'' magazine.<ref name="Brennan" />

Fleck played on the streets of New York City with bassist [[Mark Schatz]]. Along with guitarist Glen Lawson and mandolinist [[Jimmy Gaudreau]], they formed Spectrum in 1981. That same year, [[Sam Bush]] asked Fleck to join [[New Grass Revival]], with whom Fleck would perform for nine years. In 1984, he played on the album ''Snakes Alive!'', by the Dreadful Snakes (Rounder 0177), along with Jerry Douglas, [[Roland White]] and Blaine Sprouse. During this time, in 1987 Fleck recorded another solo album, ''[[Drive (Béla Fleck album)|Drive]]'', which was nominated for a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] in 1988 for Best Bluegrass Album. During the 1980s Fleck and Bush also performed live with [[Doc Watson|Doc]] and [[Merle Watson]] in bluegrass festivals, most notably the annual [[Telluride Bluegrass Festival]]. Bela also played with [[Jerry Garcia]] at the [[Hearst Greek Theatre]], on  August 5, 1990.

==Béla Fleck and the Flecktones==
{{further|Béla Fleck and the Flecktones}}
[[Image:Bela Fleck with Victor Wooten.JPG|thumb|left|Fleck (right) with [[Victor Wooten]]]]
In 1988, Fleck and [[Victor Wooten]] formed Béla Fleck and the Flecktones with keyboardist and harmonica player [[Howard Levy]] and Wooten's brother, [[Roy Future Man Wooten|Roy "Future Man" Wooten]], who played synthesizer-based percussion. They recorded numerous albums, most notably ''[[Flight of the Cosmic Hippo]]'', their second album, which reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and found increased popularity among fans of jazz fusion.

Levy left the group in 1992, making the band a trio until saxophonist [[Jeff Coffin]] joined the group onstage in 1997. His first studio recording with the band was their 1998 album, ''Left of Cool''. Coffin left the group in 2008 to replace the [[Dave Matthews Band]]'s saxophonist, the late [[LeRoi Moore]]. Levy returned to the Flecktones in 2009. Béla Fleck and the original Flecktones recorded ''Rocket Science'' and toured in 2011.

==Other music and recordings==
[[Image:Bela Fleck plays in Raleigh, NC, June 6, 2011.jpg|thumb|Fleck in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 6, 2011]]
Fleck played banjo on ''[[Before These Crowded Streets]]'' by the [[Dave Matthews Band]], including the album's debut single "Don't Drink the Water".<ref name="DeCurtis">{{cite magazine|last1=DeCurtis|first1=Anthony|title=Before These Crowded Streets|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/before-these-crowded-streets-19980416|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 2, 2014|date=April 16, 1998}}</ref>

In 1989 Fleck was invited to join the supergroup [[Strength in Numbers (band)|Strength in Numbers]], headed by Sam Bush on mandolin, with Jerry Douglas on [[resonator guitar]] ([[dobro]]), Edgar Meyer on bass, and Mark O'Connor on violin. The group recorded just one album, ''[[The Telluride Sessions]]'', before Bush disbanded the group.

In 2001, he collaborated with [[Edgar Meyer]] on ''[[Perpetual Motion (album)|Perpetual Motion]]'', an album of classical music played on the banjo. They were accompanied by [[John Williams (guitarist)|John Williams]], [[Evelyn Glennie]], [[Joshua Bell]], and Gary Hoffman. ''Perpetual Motion'' won Grammy Awards for [[Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella|Best Arrangement]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album|Best Classical Crossover Album]].

Fleck and Meyer composed a [[double concerto]] for banjo and bass and performed its debut with the [[Nashville Symphony Orchestra]]. They were commissioned by the Orchestra to compose a trio concerto, for which they invited Indian tabla player [[Zakir Hussain (musician)|Zakir Hussain]]. The concerto debuted in Nashville in 2006 when it was recorded for the album ''[[The Melody of Rhythm]]''. Fleck premiered the ''Concerto for Banjo'' in Nashville, Tennessee on September 22, 2011, performing it with the full Nashville Symphony Orchestra.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Schepps|first1=Jake|title=Bela Fleck's Concerto For Banjo|date=September 26, 2011|url=http://bluegrasstoday.com/bela-flecks-concerto-for-banjo/|publisher=Bluegrass Today|access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref>

In 2005, while the Flecktones were on hiatus, Fleck undertook several new projects: recording with traditional African musicians; co-writing the documentary ''Bring it Home'' about the Flecktones; co-producing ''Song of the Traveling Daughter'', the debut album by his wife, [[Abigail Washburn]]; forming the acoustic fusion supergroup Trio! with [[Jean-Luc Ponty]] and [[Stanley Clarke]]; and recording an album as a member of the [[Sparrow Quartet]] with Washburn, [[Ben Sollee]], and [[Casey Driessen]].

==Personal life==
[[File:Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn play a duet at Shakori Hills Festival in 2010..png|thumb|right|Fleck and his wife [[Abigail Washburn]] play a duet at Shakori Hills Festival in 2010]] Fleck is married to banjo player [[Abigail Washburn]].<ref name="Tippett" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100204/AE/100209910|title=Banjoist Béla Fleck brings his Africa Project to Aspen|last=Oksenhorn|first=Stewart|date=February 4, 2010|work=The Aspen Times|publisher=Swift Communications|access-date=December 10, 2010|quote=A year ago, Fleck appeared in Aspen as a member of the Sparrow Quartet, an ensemble led by fellow banjoist (and Fleck's girlfriend at the time, now his wife) Abigail Washburn that mixed Chinese folk songs, Appalachian gospel tunes, blues and more.}}</ref>  Washburn first met Fleck in Nashville at a square dance at which she was dancing and he was playing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2010/07/08/American-Roots-a-Love-for-China-Abigail-Washburn-Returns|title=American Roots & a Love for China: Abigail Washburn Returns|last=Laskowski|first=Christine|date=July 8, 2010|work=Blog|publisher=The Beijinger|access-date=December 10, 2010}}</ref> Fleck produced Washburn's first solo album. Fleck brought Washburn to the wedding of his half-brother – award-winning children's television writer [[Sascha Paladino]] – in August 2007, and they played in a scratch band composed of wedding party members.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/fashion/weddings/05vows.html|title=Erin Torneo and Sascha Paladino|last=Stowe|first=Stacey|date=August 5, 2007|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 10, 2010|quote=The band, consisting of the bridegroom's half-brothers, Louie Fleck and Béla Fleck; the bridegroom's father, Joe Paladino; and Abigail Washburn, Béla Fleck's girlfriend, performed "Two of Us" by the Beatles.}}</ref> In May 2009, the ''Bluegrass Intelligencer'' website satirized the upcoming "strategic marriage" of Washburn and Fleck, joking that the couple promised a "male heir" who will be the "Holy Banjo Emperor."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bluegrassintelligencer.com/?p=1221|title=Strategic Marriage Will Consolidate Power Within Single Banjo Sovereignty: Fleck, Washburn promise male heir, Holy Banjo Emperor|date=May 28, 2009|work=Bluegrass Intelligencer|publisher=bluegrassintelligencer.com|access-date=December 10, 2010|location=Nashville}}</ref>

Fleck and Washburn have two sons, born 2013 and 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://charlestoncitypaper.com/bela-fleck-and-abigail-washburn-hit-the-road-with-two-kids-in-tow/|title=Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn hit the road with two kids in tow|last=Lawrence|first=Stratton|date=January 9, 2019|work=Charleston City Paper|access-date=June 27, 2022}}</ref>

==Media appearances==
He appeared on the cover of the July/August 2013 issue of ''[[Making Music (magazine)|Making Music]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://makingmusicmag.com/bela-fleck-brings-banjo-from-front-porch-to-world-stage// |title=Béla Fleck Brings Banjo from Front Porch to World Stage |date=July 1, 2013 | access-date=September 11, 2014}}</ref>

==Festivals==
Alone and with the Flecktones, Fleck has appeared at the [[High Sierra Music Festival]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://highsierramusic.com/past-lineups/|title=Past Lineups - High Sierra Music Festival|newspaper=High Sierra Music Festival|language=en-US|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> [[Telluride Bluegrass Festival]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/archive/Article-Program-Bela25th.html|title=Planet Bluegrass - Telluride Bluegrass - History|website=www.bluegrass.com|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> [[Merlefest]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://merlefest.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MerleFest-Reflections.pdf|title=MerleFest Reflections, MerleFest2012|date=2012|website=merlefest.org}}</ref> [[Montreal International Jazz Festival]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/artists/artist.aspx?id=166|title=Artist : Béla Fleck - Festival International de Jazz de Montréal|access-date=January 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202064959/http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/artists/artist.aspx?id=166|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Toronto Jazz Festival]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://torontojazz.com/concert/bela-fleck-and-original-flecktones|title=Past Event|newspaper=TD Toronto Jazz Festival|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> [[Newport Folk Festival]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://grassclippingsblog.com/2015/07/26/day-two-the-best-of-past-and-present-collide-in-newport/|title=DAY TWO: The Best of Past and Present Collide in Newport|last=Garland Harwood|date=July 26, 2015|website=grass clippings - Piles of Americana & bluegrass news, reviews and festivals|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> [[Delfest]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://delfest.com/lineup/past-delfest-lineups/|title=Past Lineups - DelFest|newspaper=DelFest|language=en-US|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> [[Austin City Limits Music Festival]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.com/event/austin-city-limits-music-festival-day-1-76359902#singer-joss-stone-performs-at-the-austin-city-limits-music-festival-picture-id76768449|title=Austin City Limits Music Festival Day 1 Photos and Images {{!}} Getty Images|website=www.gettyimages.com|language=en-us|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> [[Shakori Hills]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://shakorihillsgrassroots.org/artist/bela-fleck-abigail-washburn/|title=Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn - Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance|newspaper=Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance|language=en-US|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> [[Bonnaroo]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/bonnaroo/2015/06/14/bela-fleck-talks-heat-bonnaroo-ed-helms-ralphie-may/71217574/|title=Bela Fleck: Bonnaroo heat gets to performers, too|newspaper=The Tennessean|language=en|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> [[New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival|New Orleans Jazz Fest]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2015/04/bela_fleck_and_abigail_washbur.html|title=Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn at the New Orleans Jazz Fest: All banjos, all the time|newspaper=NOLA.com|language=en-US|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> [[Hardly Strictly Bluegrass]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/2014/schedule/|title=2014 Schedule {{!}} Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2014|website=www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com|access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> [[Strawberry Music Festival]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Live at Camp Mather on 1990-09-02 |date=2022 |url=https://archive.org/details/bfft1990-09-02.strengthinnumbers.dsbd.flac16 |access-date=2025-09-01}}</ref> and [[Rochester International Jazz Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rochesterjazz.com/artists?artist_id=356|title=Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival {{!}} June 22–30, 2018|language=en|access-date=June 27, 2018}}</ref>

==Music documentary==
In the film ''Throw Down Your Heart'' (2008), a film crew follows Béla Fleck on his travels to Africa where he collaborates with some of the best musicians and researches the African origins of the banjo.

In a New York Times article about the film,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/movies/24thro.html|title = A Musical Journey|newspaper = The New York Times|date = April 23, 2009|last1 = Holden|first1 = Stephen}}</ref> Stephen Holden writes: "At every stop on a journey that takes him from Uganda to Tanzania to Gambia and finally to Mali, Mr. Fleck plays and records with gifted local musicians. Early in the film, a Ugandan villager insists that the common perception of Africa as a continent ravaged by war and disease is 'just a very small bit of what Africa is,' and ''Throw Down Your Heart'' sets out to prove him right."

==Discography==
{{further|Béla Fleck discography|New Grass Revival discography|Béla Fleck and the Flecktones#Discography}}

==Accolades==
===Grammy Awards and nominations===
Fleck has shared Grammy Awards with [[Asleep at the Wheel]], [[Alison Brown]], and [[Edgar Meyer]]. He has been nominated in more categories than any other musician,<ref name="bio">{{cite web|title=About|url=https://www.belafleck.com/about/|website=Bela Fleck|access-date=June 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mywebpages.comcast.net/wendell.norman/awards.htm |title=Awards : Grammy Awards and Nominations |publisher=Mywebpages.comcast.net |access-date=August 8, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818004347/http://mywebpages.comcast.net/wendell.norman/awards.htm |archive-date=August 18, 2007  }}</ref> namely [[Country music|country]], pop, [[jazz]], [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]], [[classical music|classical]], [[Folk music|folk]], [[spoken word]], [[Musical composition|composition]], and [[Arrangement|arranging]].<ref>{{cite web
  |title=GRAMMY.com |date=February 8, 2009
|url=http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=&winner=Bela+Fleck&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213073620/http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=&winner=Bela+Fleck&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1
  |archive-date=February 13, 2009}}<!-- {{dead link|date=August 2013}} --></ref>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Nominated work
! scope="col" | Result
|-
| [[29th Annual Grammy Awards|1987]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance|Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist)]]
| "Seven by Seven" <small>(by [[New Grass Revival]])</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[31st Annual Grammy Awards|1989]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album|Best Bluegrass Recording (Vocal or Instrumental)]] 
| ''[[Drive (Béla Fleck album)|Drive]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[32nd Annual Grammy Awards|1990]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance|Best Country Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist)]]
| "Big Foot" <small>(by [[New Grass Revival]])</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[33rd Annual Grammy Awards|1991]]
| rowspan="2"|[[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition|Best Instrumental Composition]]
| "The Sinister Minister"
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[34th Annual Grammy Awards|1992]]
| "Blu-Bop"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album|Best Contemporary Jazz Performance]]
| ''[[Flight of the Cosmic Hippo]]'' <small>(by [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones]])</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
|[[35th Annual Grammy Awards|1993]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition|Best Instrumental Composition]]
| "Magic Fingers"
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[37th Annual Grammy Awards|1995]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children|Best Spoken Word Album for Children]]
| ''The Creation'' <small>(as producer)</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[38th Annual Grammy Awards|1996]]
| rowspan="2"|[[Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance|Best Country Instrumental Performance]]
| "Hightower" <small>(with [[Asleep at the Wheel]] and [[Johnny Gimble]])</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| "Cheeseballs in Cowtown"
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[39th Annual Grammy Awards|1997]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album|Best World Music Album]]
| ''[[Tabula Rasā]]'' <small>(with [[V.M. Bhatt]] and [[Jiebing Chen]])</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance|Best Pop Instrumental Performance]]
| "The Sinister Minister" <small>(by [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones]])</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3"|[[41st Annual Grammy Awards|1999]]
| "Big Country"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition|Best Instrumental Composition]]
| "Almost 12" <small>(by [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones]])</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance|Best Country Instrumental Performance]]
| "The Ride"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[42nd Annual Grammy Awards|2000]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album|Best Bluegrass Album]]
| ''[[The Bluegrass Sessions: Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 2|The Bluegrass Sessions - Tales From The Acoustic Planet, Volume 2]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"|[[43rd Annual Grammy Awards|2001]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance|Best Country Instrumental Performance]]
| "Leaving Cottondale" <small>(with [[Alison Brown]])</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance|Best Pop Instrumental Performance]]
| "Zona Mona"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album|Best Contemporary Jazz Album]]
| ''[[Outbound (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones album)|Outbound]]'' <small>(by [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones]])</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[44th Annual Grammy Awards|2002]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella|Best Instrumental Arrangement]]
| "Claude Debussy: Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum" <small>(with [[Edgar Meyer]])</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album|Best Classical Crossover Album]]
| ''[[Perpetual Motion (album)|Perpetual Motion]]''
| {{won}}
|-
|[[45th Annual Grammy Awards|2003]]
| rowspan="2"|[[Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance|Best Country Instrumental Performance]]
| "Bear Mountain Hop"
| {{nom}}
|-
|[[48th Annual Grammy Awards|2006]]
| "Who's Your Uncle?"
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[49th Annual Grammy Awards|2007]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album|Best Contemporary Jazz Album]]
| ''[[The Hidden Land]]'' <small>(by [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones]])</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance|Best Pop Instrumental Performance]]
| "Subterfuge" <small>(by [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones]])</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[50th Annual Grammy Awards|2008]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition|Best Instrumental Composition]]
| "Spectacle"
| {{nom}}
|- 
| rowspan="2"|[[51st Annual Grammy Awards|2009]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album|Best Pop Instrumental Album]]
| ''[[Jingle All the Way (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones album)|Jingle All the Way]]'' <small>(by [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones]])</small>
| {{won}}
|-
|[[Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance|Best Country Instrumental Performance]]
| "[[Sleigh Ride]]" <small>(by [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones]])</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"|[[52nd Annual Grammy Awards|2010]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance|Best Pop Instrumental Performance]]
| "Throw Down Your Heart"
| {{won}}
|- 
| [[Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album|Best Classical Crossover Album]]
| ''[[The Melody of Rhythm]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album|Best Contemporary World Music Album]]
| ''[[Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3: Africa Sessions|Throw Down Your Heart: Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3 - Africa Sessions]]''
| {{won}}
|-
|[[53rd Annual Grammy Awards|2011]]
| ''Throw Down Your Heart: Africa Sessions Part 2: Unreleased Tracks''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[54th Annual Grammy Awards|2012]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition|Best Instrumental Composition]]
| "Life in Eleven" <small>(with [[Howard Levy]])</small> 
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[58th Annual Grammy Awards|2016]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Folk Album|Best Folk Album]]
| ''Béla Fleck And Abigail Washburn'' <small>(with [[Abigail Washburn]])</small> 
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance|Best American Roots Performance]]
| "And Am I Born to Die" <small>(with [[Abigail Washburn]])</small> 
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[63rd Annual Grammy Awards|2021]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Historical Album|Best Historical Album]]
| ''Throw Down Your Heart: The Complete Africa Sessions''
| {{nom}}
|-
|[[64th Annual Grammy Awards|2022]]
|[[Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album|Best Bluegrass Album]]
|''[[My Bluegrass Heart]]''
| {{won}}
|-
|[[66th Annual Grammy Awards|2024]]
|[[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album|Best Contemporary Instrumental Album]]
|''As We Speak'' <small>(with [[Edgar Meyer]] & [[Zakir Hussain (musician)|Zakir Hussain]])</small>
|{{Won}}
|-
|[[66th Annual Grammy Awards|2024]]
|[[Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance|Best Global Music Performance]]
|"Pashto" <small>(with [[Edgar Meyer]] & [[Zakir Hussain (musician)|Zakir Hussain]])</small>
|{{Won}}
|-
|2026
|Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
|BEATrio (with Edmar Castañeda, & Antonio Sánchez)<ref>{{Cite web |title=2026 GRAMMYS: See The Full Nominations List {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://grammy.com/news/2026-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=grammy.com}}</ref>
|. Pending
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Gray, Michael (1998). "Béla Fleck". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp.&nbsp;174–5.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Béla Fleck}}
* [http://www.belafleck.com/ BelaFleck.com] – Béla Fleck Official website
* [http://www.flecktones.com/ Flecktones.com] –  Flecktones Official Website
* [http://www.mlfilms.com/productions/bach_project/bela_fleck   BACH & friends Documentary ]

{{Béla Fleck}}
{{Flecktones}}
{{New Grass Revival}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleck, Bela}}
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