early banjo makers
Sylvester Louis Vess Ossman was one of the most popular recording artists of his time. Bryson City, SC USA Steve likes to use the banjo for old-time tunes and to accompany his vocals. An entirely different approach to pot construction. Murph Gribble (banjo), Albert York (guitar), and John Lusk (fiddle): "Altamont" (1946). and the banza collected in Haiti in 1841. Inclusion is at my sole discretion. 1865- Frank Converse Banjo primer published 1863-1897 James H. Buckbee Co., of New York largest maker. Other banjo manufacturers emerged in the 1840s and the following decades. Uncle Dave Macon: "Take Me Back to My Old Carolina Home". 3 banjo with hardwood neck and nickel plated body, leatherette case. 1 Best Beginner Banjo 2023 Buying Guide 1.1 1. Soon, banjo making consumed much of his spare time and began to eat into his business time. Seegers 1948 book How to Play the 5-String Banjo taught countless aspiring banjo players. SC.nb("info", "recordingking.com", "", "", ""); The one-armed banjo maker. Today, Levinger is the proprietor of Players Vintage Instruments, where he buys and sells vintage guitars, mandolins, banjos, and other musical instruments. Horsefly, BC CAN V0L 1L0 Unknown Maker Tackhead Minstrel Banjo C. 1840s This is probably the earliest banjo in the collection, tackhead banjos predate the use of straining hooks and nuts to tighten the head although cheap versions were in trade catalogs well into the 1890s. Staunton, VA USA 24401 www.bishlinebanjos.com Played in the rural South since the second half of the nineteenth century, the banjo rose to become prominent in folk, country, old-time, and bluegrass music. They learned directly from the older masters and recorded them to capture their stories, wisdom, and musical approach. In reality, they were far from that, but they did incorporate elements from both Black and White folk culture. They made smaller instruments and added intricate pearl inlays to the neck and headstock. +1 (615) 456-5486 Portland, OR USA +1 (540) 230-0085 During the late 1920s, he recorded for various companies race record lines, which captured African American blues, jazz, and gospel music and marketed to Black record buyers. Starting in the 1880s, amateur musicians formed banjo, mandolin, and guitar (BMG) clubs. They recorded string bands and solo musicians, often on location in makeshift recording studios, and released the music under the labels , Gus Cannon was a versatile and influential African American banjo player. By the early 1940s, musicians introduced electric guitars in jazz and blues. I love creatingentirely custom instruments drawing from historical sources. These "Minstrel Era" wooden rim banjos are the result of those years of study. Their attempts to elevate the instrument disassociated it from its African roots. Bluegrass is rooted in the rural music of Appalachia as captured on the old-time string band recordings of the 1920s and 30s. Began building full time in2014. . In the book Banjo Roots and Branches, historian Pete Ross concludes, All three banjos differ enough from African instruments while sharing some details specific to later banjos played and made by European Americans to place them at a point in the banjos history where it was no longer simply a relocated African instrument, but on its way to attaining the structure of the well-known antebellum nineteenth-century banjo.. South San Francisco, CA USA 94080 +1 (570) 924-4080 Danny Moloney The Birth of the Banjo: Joel Walker Sweeney and Early Minstrelsy. All but four of these referenced Black musicians. A. Sloan & Son. SC.nb("scott", "scottvestal.com", "", "", ""); 7258 Banjo Lane Check out our early banjo selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. 1:30-2:30 Eli Kaufman - Early banjo periodicals 2:45-3:45 Jim Bollman - The banjos of W.A.Cole (Jim White banjo display) 4:00-4:30 Bob Winans - book update 7:30-9:30 Bela Fleck movie " Throw Down Your Heart " followed by Q&A 9:30-? Mills River, NC USA Members of BMG clubs played plucked stringed instruments in a variety of sizes and shapes. Vintage banjo collector Lowell Levinger is perhaps best known to 1960s music fans as "Banana," the bushy-haired guitarist and keyboards player for The Youngbloods. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2007. My wooden-rim banjos are made for playing contemporary "Old Time" stringband music, with aesthetic elements of Victorian-era banjos. That Half-Barbaric Twang: The Banjo in American Popular Culture. www.wildwoodbanjos.com, The Banjo Loft North Port, FL USA 34290 The two races lived in close proximity in the Appalachian Mountains, Piedmont, and other parts of the South, interacting socially and playing music together for dances. However, the nature of the fixed intervals requires some compromise in intonation. +1 (931) 580-5742 Some 5-strings are made each year. The pairing of fiddle and banjo, which integrated Celtic American fiddle and African American banjo styles, became central to song and dance traditions. If you know of any builders not on this list, please let me know. James Hartel has been making and playing banjos on and off since 1973 when he made a banjo for his 2 year old daughter. BJ005, length 101 cm. Banjo mandolin with unusual ivory & ebony fretboard & head, back decorated with timber specimens. 309 Plus Park Boulevard I have worked with world renown banjo maker Kevin Enoch since 2004, collaborating on the design of his esteemed Dobson line, and creating much of the design and inlay on his most ornate banjos. SC.nb("phopkins", "united.net", "", "", ""); I have absolutely no information for this brand at all other than having seen several McKinley banjos, which impressed me. Ltd. trading as CARTER'S Publications. 112 Silverwood Drive The most technically advanced banjo of the early minstrel period. Earl Scruggs and His Blue Grass Boys with Earl Scruggs on banjo: "Why Did You Wander". began seeking out some of the performers. +1 (541) 593-0253 Spike implies that the neck passes over or through the body of the instrument. As the banjo made inroads into middle-class American parlors during the second half of the nineteenth century, it also became integral to the music of the rural South. problem with this list? +1 (972) 617-5576 Jam, swap meet Saturday 9:30-10:30 Cece Conway - Black Banjo Videos 10:45-11:45 Paul Sedgwick - The Banjo Lesson As of June 2022, there are 56. PO Box 1197 Black musicians played the banjo to accompany singing and dancing, sometimes with percussion or hand clapping. from one-man shops, so perhaps it means that competition in this segment was The Weavers with Pete Seeger on banjo: "On Top of Old Smoky" (1951). Downright Divisive: Examining the Early Banjo in Colonial Jamaica Farris Travel Banjo Company Glasgow, KY USA 42141 For several decades, minstrel shows were the most popular form of entertainment in the United States. By the end of the nineteenth century, the banjo had become the most popular fretted, stringed instrument in America. 84 Womack Street SC.nb("patrick", "pisgahbanjos.com", "", "", ""); Jaroslav Prucha Banjo Roots and Branches. League City, TX USA 77573 9777 Missaukee Lane One of these Old Time banjos can be a simple straightforward purchase, or a deeply collaborative process. 1994 Gibson RB3 5 string Banjo with Original Case. As African American musicians continued their innovations in blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel music, the guitars sustain and deep bottom end suited their musical needs better than the banjo. They share features that differentiate them from West African lutes, including a flat, fretless fingerboard, wooden friction tuning pegs, and the way the neck enters and attaches to the gourd body. Ltd. trading as CARTER'S Publications. African Banjo Echoes In Appalachia: Study Folk Traditions. In 1958, Mike Seeger (Petes half-brother), Tom Paley, and John Cohen formed the New Lost City Ramblers, a young group that remained faithful to, The folk music revival took a turn towards folk-rock in the mid-1960s, as Bob Dylan plugged in, and the Byrds played folk songs with electric guitars. Mesa, AZ USA 85201 Stedman's specification of the Creole-Bania 's four strings as being "three long and one short" is the first and only period textual description of the typical string configuration for a 4-string early gourd banjo. +420-603-868120 In the 1830s, a man named Joel Walker Sweeny was one of the first minstrels to play the banjo on stage. They also composed new songs on the banjo, often devising unique tunings for the instrument to achieve the desired tonalities. Lutes are stringed instruments with necks that are distinct from their bodies. 183 Cloverdale Dr. Inclusion on the list is entirely at Will's The, was a set of six long-playing records that compiled eighty-four songs initially released on, Realizing the recordings were made only a few decades earlier, disciples of the. To make the banjo more appealing to middle-class Americans, manufacturers put more attention on physical aesthetics. Mike C. clocks4u NAWCC Member Sep 2, 2000 684 28 28 Frank Goscha of Philadelphia is mentioned as having been one of the early banjo makers in America but no details of him or his products have ever come to light. Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons, former members of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, continue to perform, explore, and tell the banjos story in live performances, recordings, writings, and interviews. A c.1920-30s Slingerlands Nite Hawk four-string banjo, with inlaid details to sides and back. Gus Cannon was a versatile and influential African American banjo player. Bloomington, MN USA 55431 Pete Ross Banjos: open-back 5-string banjos based on the designs of late 19th century banjos made by Dobson, Buckbee, Fairbanks, and Cole, with modernizations for the contemporary player. It features 100 "milestone instruments" with in-depth coverage, including model details and beautiful photos. Though there is little documentation, some may have picked up the instrument before the rise of minstrelsy. 1026 W. 6th Place defunct listings were for old-time, open-back banjos and most of these were Philip Allison Fretted instruments, such as guitars and mandolins, are generally easier to play in tune than unfretted instruments, such as violins, violas, and cellos. www.vancebanjos.com Virginia Minstrels spawned many imitators, and the instrumentation and general format of the skits and music became somewhat standardized. SC.nb("laurie", "grundybanjos.com", "", "", ""); Arthur Hatfield Players formed banjo orchestras out of these family members as well as related instruments like mandolin and guitar. 1870-Uncle Dave Macon born in Tennessee 1878-Henry Dobson produces 5 string with frets (made by Buckbee) 1880-1890 Fairbanks and Cole of Boston. Fairview, TN USA The following are my criteria for inclusion in this list. These builders may make other types as well. The folk music revival took a turn towards folk-rock in the mid-1960s, as Bob Dylan plugged in, and the Byrds played folk songs with electric guitars. While some continued to play the instrument, there was a steep decline in the presence of the banjo in Black music. In 1930, a Gibson L-1, the guitar reportedly favored by Robert Johnson, cost $50.00, the equivalent of $687.57 today. +1 (951) 486-1456 Charlie Poole, who started playing a gourd banjo in his childhood, recorded many sides for Columbia Records in the late 1920s. South San Francisco, CA USA 94080 Americas Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century. dioramas from Suriname both appear to depict this ritual. Have a He used European drum technology to attach the head, which provided a mechanism for controlling the instruments tone. Mostly open-back models. In 1992 he met banjo builder Bart Reiter who became a tremendous supporter of Mike's advising him about his work and helping him set up a production shop. SC.nb("stelling", "stellingbanjo.com", "", "", ""); Steve Gerritsen www.washburn.com, 56771 Lunar Drive 1739 South Sheridan Rd. www.sagamusic.com. Many details of these early gourd banjos are evident in the instruments built by European American banjo makers in the mid-nineteenth century. PO Box 89 www.goldtone.com Other musicians polished up the old sounds and made slick new commercial recordings. Cover of 1843 Virginia Minstrels song book. Its loud, bright sound cut through jazz bands and dance orchestras, providing a solid rhythm. This technique has come to be known as guitar, or classic, style. He has published detailed research into the banjo rim construction. Buffalo Grove, IL USA 60089 To this day, players who emulate his techniques are said to be playing either bluegrass- or Scruggs-style banjo. Every Bad River banjo is crafted one at a time in the old-time . Home of the Rickard "Cyclone" 10:1 tuners. SC.nb("ballardbanjers", "yahoo.co.uk", "", "", ""); Bart Reiter Beginning in 1977 with Dena Epsteins book Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War, scholars have published extensively on the early history of the banjo. What type of banjo is best for beginners: Acoustic or electric? Huber Jim Mills 5 string Banjo Rare Gold Plated . When ragtime and blues music melded into jazz in the 1910s, the tenor banjo was one of the principal instruments in the rhythm section. 409 Benton Lane SC.nb("info", "tranjo.com", "", "", ""); Colin J. Vance In 2019, Giddens, in collaboration with Black banjo players Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell, released the album, . Association with these genres, and the diminished presence of the instrument in twentieth-century African American music, led to the banjo becoming a representation of rural White culture. 1898 was a good year However, bluegrass incorporates jazz influences and emphasizes instrumental virtuosity and improvised solo breaks, which were not prevalent in old-time music. Solid banjos from the company that gave us the legendary Gold Stars of the '70s & '80s. I owned an Epiphone long-neck in the '60s and it was an excellent banjo. +1 (540) 887-2313 They recorded string bands and solo musicians, often on location in makeshift recording studios, and released the music under the labels old-time, old familiar tunes, or hillbilly. Samantha Bumgarner from Dillsboro, North Carolina, recorded ten songs for Columbia Records in April 1924. www.stonebanjo.com +1 (747) 222-6567 Don't buy the DIY banjo kits; you'll never get satisfaction if something is wrong. Every Bad River Banjo is built one-at-a-time at a deliberate pace, with tools and methods from the late 19th and early 20th century. Conway, Cecilia. It has gone from being an exclusive sound of West Africa, to being associated with the distinct bluegrass twang of the Appalachians and the unique picking style of clawhammer banjoists. Epstein, Dena J. Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War. Greenbrier, TN USA 37073 5, circa 1920, maker and model number impressed to the head stock, the fingerboard inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Baltimore City . In most cases, early banjos were not made by skilled luthiers, but rather plantation made by slave wood workers and later by drum makers and turners (carpenters). . Although the early history of the banjo is not really clear, most people believe the origin lies in instruments from Africa (see ngoni and akonting on the page Africa). www.romerobanjos.com Also see the SHS online store at www.shop-shs.comand the SHS main site at www.shsint.net. www.nechville.com. The company has been producing banjos for over 40 years and has earned a reputation for being one of the best banjo makers in the world. Type of wood 1.4 4. Much of what is deemed folk music has its roots in Africa and African American tradition, notes Giddens. Lacona, NY USA 13083 Cased banjo Sold by in for www.sloanbanjos.com SC.nb("contact", "goldtone.com", "", "", ""); Laurie Grundy +1 (828) 226-2286 University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2006. While musical tradition runs strong in bluegrass, a generation of younger players started taking the music in new directions in the 1970s. Greg Galbreath Bend, OR USA 97707 The Dobson brothers, William A. Cole, H.C. Fairbanks, James Ashborn, and Vega built banjos or affixed their names to the banjos of others. In the book, historian Pete Ross concludes, All three banjos differ enough from African instruments while sharing some details specific to later banjos played and made by European Americans to place them at a point in the banjos history where it was no longer simply a relocated African instrument, but on its way to attaining the structure of the well-known antebellum nineteenth-century banjo.. Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt left the Blue Grass Boys to form Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1948. He became the first star of the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast. +1 (800) 877-6863 SC.nb("info", "rickardbanjos.com", "", "", ""); A comprehensive lineup including Gold Star, Flinthill, Saga and Rover models. The images used in this list have been provided by their respective builders and are the copyrighted Beginning in 1977 with Dena Epsteins book, Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War. The strings are attached to the neck with leather or cloth rings. A banjo mandolin, unknown maker, circa 1940s, calfskin head, floating bridge, rosewood fingerboard, nickel hardware, eight buttoned machine heads, hardwood neck and rim, acquired on 12 October 1981, I bought this instrument in 1981 whilst on tour on the, Gibson long necked banjo, purchased in Syndey in 1962 from an American draft dodger, in original hard case. In the late 1930s, mandolinist, singer, songwriter Bill Monroe formed The Blue Grass Boys, the band primarily responsible for developing bluegrass music. (412) 303-8461 137 Utah Avenue McMurray, PA USA 15317 The genre is part of the Americana or American roots music category, which includes elements of traditional folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. While Briggs' tutor includes guitar-style playing in addition to downstroke, he was more interested in promoting his invention, the banjo thimble. In addition to his work with gourd banjos, Pete has spent the last 30 years immersed in the study of the earliest wooden rim banjos. Ken LeVan www.cedarmtnbanjos.com Prominent players today include Jake Blount, Otis Taylor, Corey Harris, and Taj Mahal. The banjo became prominent in the United States with the rise of blackface minstrelsy in the 1830s. www.buckeyebanjos.com By the end of the century, banjo repertoire had expanded from plantation and minstrel tunes to include sentimental popular songs, waltzes, mazurkas, polkas, and ragtime.