Alison Brown (born in Hartford, Connecticut, on 7 August 1962) is an American banjo player, guitarist, composer, and producer. She has won and has been nominated for several Grammy awards. As well as solo recordings, Brown has recorded as Alison Brown & Stuart Duncan, led the Alison Brown Quartet, and, from 1987–1991, been a member of Alison Krauss & Union Station. Brown learned to play guitar at eight and banjo at ten. When she was twelve, she met fiddler Stuart Duncan. In the summer of 1978, Brown traveled across the country with Duncan and his father, playing festivals and contests.