A casual string band formed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2000 ended up on the stage at Carnegie Hall backing one of the most famous comedians in Hollywood. This deep dive traces the Steep Canyon Rangers from the original trio of Graham Sharp, Woody Platt and Charles R. Humphrey III, joined by mandolinist Mike Guggino and fiddler Lizzie Hamilton, through their 2001 band competition win at RockyGrass, the year of rotating guest fiddlers after Hamilton left, and the 2004 arrival of Nicky Sanders that locked in their sound.

We follow the 2005 album One Dime at a Time produced by Del McCoury Band bassist Mike Bub, the 2006 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year award, and the May 2009 Los Angeles benefit concert where Steve Martin first asked them to back him. The episode explores the world tour that followed, the 2011 album R ...