Noam David Pikelny, born on February 27, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois, is an American banjoist who began playing at age eight. He studied under Greg Cahill of The Special Consensus during high school. Pikelny's career started with Leftover Salmon from 2002 to 2004, followed by the John Cowan Band from 2004 to 2006. In 2006, he joined Chris Thile in forming Punch Brothers. Their debut album Punch was released on February 26, 2008. As a solo artist, Pikelny released his first album In the Maze in July 2004, and later albums include Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail and Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe. He won the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass in 2010. In 2019, Punch Brothers won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for their album All Ashore.
