Ballad singer and banjoist Elizabeth LaPrelle grew up in rural Virginia and was immersed in music from a young age, playing with and learning from various musical family members. As with many old-time music artists, Elizabeth performed at musical conventions and contests. She was a student of Ginny Hawker and Sheila Kay Adams, learning traditional mountain songs and ballads knee-to-knee.

At 16, Elizabeth became the first recipient of the Henry Reed Award from the Library of Congress, and when she attended the College of William & Mary, she created her own major, Southern Appalachian Traditional Performance, made up of theater, literature, American studies, music, and anthropology. In 2012, she won the Mike Seeger Award at Folk Alliance International. Smithsonian Folkways notes that Elizabeth is “frequently lauded as the finest traditional singer of her generation.”

Elizabeth has released three albums as a solo artist, appeared on compilation albums like Big Bend Killing: The Appalachian Ballad Tradition, and performed extensively with Anna Roberts-Gevalt as Anna & Elizabeth (including their wonderful crankie productions). She has also served as a master ballad singer in the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program.