Abigail Washburn: Giving Up China For The Banjo

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Abigail Washburn.

Jason Black Wilkins/Courtesy of the artist

Abigail Washburn.

Jason Black Wilkins/Courtesy of the artist

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Abigail Washburn: Tiny Desk Concert

Abigail Washburn's second album, City of Refuge, almost never came to be. She'd never much seen herself as a musician, and after she finished her schooling in Colorado, she all but committed herself to a life practicing law in China.

Washburn says that after a transformative six-month stay there, she returned home and packed her bags for a new life in Beijing.

But as luck would have it, her growing fascination with learning the banjo turned into a recording career — and changed her career path forever. Weekend All Things Considered guest host Linda Wertheimer recently spoke with Washburn about her strange career path, her evolution as a songwriter and her marriage to banjo legend Bela Fleck. You can hear the interview at the top of the page.