The 1890s brought the dawn of recorded sound with Thomas Edisons phonograph and Emile Berliners gramophone. In 2005, the Carolina Chocolate Drops brought together four African American musicians playing traditional string band music on fiddle, banjo, guitar, and various other instruments. She didnt learn to play that banjo until she was thirty, though, and by then, Jim had dug around enough in the history of American banjos to start making replicas of authentic minstrel banjos. Bluegrass is rooted in the rural music of Appalachia as captured on the, Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt left the Blue Grass Boys to form Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1948. The tenor banjo lacked the short fifth string, which provided a single-note musical drone. . Laemouahuma Daniel Jatta with an akonting (photo by Chuck Levy). +420-603-868120 SC.nb("greg", "buckeyebanjos.com", "", "", ""); Rostislav ?apek Danny Moloney The Byrds with John Hartford on banjo: "I Am a Pilgrim" (1968). Gaddy, Kristina R.Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History. Caraya 5 string banjo with Remo head made out of mahogany, the banjo is a plectrum-style instrument and has a closed-back design and and the mahogany body is complemented by a maple neck and a natural gloss finish. +1 (270) 646-5219 PO Box 882, Elkins, West Virginia 26241 304-636-6710 Phone Hours; 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Eastern Time, Monday through Friday and occasionally on Saturday; Banjos,Contact us. , banjo manufacturers began installing frets on the instrument. pisgahbanjos.com Tommy Jarrell and string band with Ray Chatfield on banjo: "Sally Anne" (1983). Cannons output included bluesy and jazzy music, and he played banjo with both downstroke and up-picking styles. +1 (724) 943-4581 The Anthology was a set of six long-playing records that compiled eighty-four songs initially released on old-time and race record lines in the 1920s and 30s. +1 (707) 845-9524 Click the bar to view more details about the maker. 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. I have a particular love for early banjo toys, which includes makers such as Jerome Secor, Ives, Guntermann, Reed, Courier, Phalibois, Vichy, etc. James established his mechanized instrument factory in Connecticut in the late 1840's Ashborn was the first to apply mass production principles to banjo and guitar making, transforming the homemade artifacts to commercial products. Check out our early banjo selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. E- 1134, circa 1950, George Formby plaque inlaid in mother-of-pearl to the headstock, 58 cm long, English ukulele banjo, by John Grey & Sons, model Dulcetta, serial no. By the end of the nineteenth century, the banjo had become the most popular fretted, stringed instrument in America. As is typical for this early banjo style, the neck and fingerboard are made from a single piece of wood. It was tuned in fifths, like a mandolin or violin, and played by strumming with a plectrum, also known as a pick. Other prominent bluegrass banjo players, including Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, and Bill Keith, followed in Scruggs footsteps and broke ground of their own. Chuck Lee Banjo Company, Inc. 112 Silverwood Drive Ovilla, TX USA 75154 +1 (972) 617-5576 www.chuckleebanjos.com Made in USA Clareen Banjos As might be expected from the location, the majority of the business is in 4-string banjos. As of June 2022, there are 56. Excellent student model, The Windsor 'Pyxe' banjo, c. 1920's, with original case. Much of what is deemed folk music has its roots in Africa and African American tradition, notes Giddens. Scruggs was a 3-finger up-picking virtuoso who soloed frequently and took the banjo to inventive new places. All but four of these referenced Black musicians. SC.nb("contact", "goldtone.com", "", "", ""); Laurie Grundy Began building full time in2014. Ltd. trading as CARTER'S Publications. SC.nb("stonebanjocompany", "gmail.com", "", "", ""); From the Sullivans of First Quality Music fame. +1 (615) 429-6835 Early forms of the instrument were fashioned by African Americans in the United States. Pollock Pines, CA USA 95726 www.sagamusic.com. Macon incorporated multiple techniques, including clawhammer and two- and three-finger up-picking, into his banjo playing. Gold Tone has licensed one model. Samantha Bumgarner (banjo) and Eva Davis (fddle): "Cindy in the Meadow" (1924). 2, Birmingham, circa 1907, model number and date impressed to the top of the headstock, verso is an engraved plaque bearing 'Robert E Dorman'. +1 (650) 588-5558 Charlotte, NC USA The Banjo Lesson by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1893). 7, Birmingham, circa 1920, 96 cm long, English zither banjo, by Windsor, popular model no. West African plucked spike lutes share three basic design features. This banjo represents an aesthetic blend of early industrial banjos (1875-1885) along with Romance Era guitars and banjos. SC.nb("capek", "capek.us", "", "", ""); Unusual among small luthiers for building both banjos and guitars. A listing of notable musicians who play the banjo as a major part of their output include: A [ edit] Derroll Adams Eddie Adcock David "Stringbean" Akeman Howard Alden Peter R. Arnott Clarence Ashley Scott Avett B [ edit] Etta Baker Danny Barker Danny Barnes Terry Baucom Riley Baugus Andru Bemis Carroll Best [1] Louis 'Lou' Black Ron Block www.capekinstruments.com Hirata- Nishi 1-2-16 1F By the early 1940s, musicians introduced electric guitars in jazz and blues. Bluegrass, both progressive and traditional, The disassociation of the banjo from its African roots is starting to reverse. Zachary Hoyt Have a I am obsessed with banjo as a tool of reclamation for African American artists.. 1881-Dobson patents a tone ring 1890s-Steel strings widely available: cheaper than gut Furthermore, he continues his research and fine tunes his banjos regularly so that they look and sound as much like the banjos of the early minstrel period as possible. Find an Baltimore drum maker William Boucher began producing banjos around1845 and is credited with being one of the first professional banjo makers. Greg Galbreath "The Banjo Timepiece" by Chipman Ela is a very good book showing all the great banjos and their makers. Ovilla, TX USA 75154 Seegers 1948 book How to Play the 5-String Banjo taught countless aspiring banjo players. Shelbyville, TN USA 37160 SC.nb("stelling", "stellingbanjo.com", "", "", ""); Steve Gerritsen Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2018. Indianapolis, IN USA 46217 De Meglio & F. Glio' dated 1916, in original leather case. Length 76 cm, A Windsor Premium No. The Banjo's Early Days. The images used in this list have been provided by their respective builders and are the copyrighted Lindsay Lewellen Many details of these early gourd banjos are evident in the instruments built by European American banjo makers in the mid-nineteenth century. SC.nb("tom", "banjo.ie", "", "", ""); Jeffrey P. Kramer Black musicians played the banjo to accompany singing and dancing, sometimes with percussion or hand clapping. www.cedarmtnbanjos.com In the early twentieth century, manufacturers introduced the four-string, or tenor, banjo. This is a list of builders of 5-string banjos, both Bluegrass (5-string resonator) and Traditional (open back) However, a wealth of historical research conducted since the 1970s has brought attention to the African roots of the banjo, and performers and scholars have been making efforts to restore the instruments place in Black culture. 5680 Valmont Road Its loud, bright sound cut through jazz bands and dance orchestras, providing a solid rhythm. The sound of the banjo became commonplace with their theme song for the television show, (1962-1971) and the prominent placement of their instrumental Foggy Mountain Breakdown in the 1967 film, Other prominent bluegrass banjo players, including Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, and Bill Keith, followed in Scruggs footsteps and broke ground of their own. Price 2 The Best Banjo Brands for Beginners 2.1 Rogue 2.2 Ibanez 2.3 Epiphone 2.4 Fender 2.5 Deering 2.6 Rogue www.nechville.com. Mills River, NC USA www.phillipsbanjos.com The banjo became prominent in the United States with the rise of blackface minstrelsy in the 1830s. Time Capsule: Found anything interesting in grandad's loft recently? Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs: "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" (1949). However, the nature of the fixed intervals requires some compromise in intonation. On June 19, 2022, I finally removed Gibson from the list. In 1855, Tom Briggs, a minstrel banjo player and teacher, published Briggs Banjo Instructor, the first in a series of banjo tutors published over the following decades. S. S. Stewart produced his own line of banjos from 1878 until his death in 1898. Franklin, TN USA The vast archives of 20th-century recordings of African American banjo players and Haitian banza players, recorded by John Werk III, Alan Lomax, and others for the Library of Congress and Smithsonian, capture what people who otherwise were relatively voiceless were singing, and therefore what they were saying and thinking about in different Other parts of the "pot" 1.5 5. SC.nb("ken", "levandesign.com", "", "", ""); DP Hopkins, Inc. Historians refer to these new instruments as early gourd banjos. SHS International South San Francisco, CA USA 94080 How many strings? Saga Musical Instruments If you know of any builders not on this list, please let me know. Progressive bluegrass continues today with artists such as Alison Krauss and Union Station, Infamous Stringdusters, and Yonder Mountain String Band. problem with this list? Founded in 1959 by John Sloan, continued by Peter Sloan, and in 2012 acquired by the Allisons. Banjo Roots and Branches. SC.nb("theboss", "sloanbanjos.com", "", "", ""); Scott Vestal SC.nb("manbdawson", "frontier.com", "", "", ""); Founded by Lo Gordon, now in the hands of his son. Plus an 8 string banjo mandolin, early 20th century, Mandolin, 1920's Italian banjo mandolin by 'Il Globo' (faults), Banjo, 1920's banjo by S.rose & Co., comes with original case. The genre is part of the Americana or American roots music category, which includes elements of traditional folk, country. 409 Benton Lane BJ005, length 101 cm. Tom & Fintan Cussen A wide array of hardware is available, ask for anything you dont see here. www.tranjo.com They learned directly from the older masters and recorded them to capture their stories, wisdom, and musical approach. These "Minstrel Era" wooden rim banjos are the result of those years of study. William Temlett's son, William Ernest, had started work in his father's factory in early boyhood but left at the age of thirty to form his own business. One of these Old Time banjos can be a simple straightforward purchase, or a deeply collaborative process. Though there is little documentation, some may have picked up the instrument before the rise of minstrelsy. The banjo has an animal skin head stretched over the gourd and attached with tacks. With the group The Weavers, formed in 1948, Seeger took the banjo to the top of the popular music charts multiple times, though the orchestra arrangements on many of their recordings obscured it. www.huberbanjos.com, 420 Bridge Street 23 Goodwood Lane, PO Box 442 Hendersonville, TN USA 37075 Mazow, Leo G. Picturing the Banjo. Dubois, Laurent. Plucked means that it produces sound when the strings are struck or plucked. The Dobson brothers, William A. Cole, H.C. Fairbanks, James Ashborn, and Vega built banjos or affixed their names to the banjos of others. 9700 Humboldt Avenue South Making Music: The Banjo, Baltimore and Beyond. A Mozart banjo, length 100 cm with hard case, stand and book, An antique five string banjo, John Grey & Sons, London, early 20th century, the brass rim and back cast with Eastern inspired decoration enamelled in red and black, with engraved mark to the armrest and metal label to the head, length 95 cm, Cuckoo vintage English four string banjo, late 19th early 20th century, 27 cm drumhead, 75 cm long, A vintage banjo mandolin, early 20th century, 61 cm long, English ukulele banjo, by John Grey & Sons, model George Formby, serial no. Farris Travel Banjo Company Often referred to as "the red book" (for obvious reasons) by the banjo-collecting world, the books does a great job at identifying and describing some hightly sought banjos. Jim has had access to a vast array of surviving early banjos through the generosity of banjo history experts, collectors of early musical instruments, and museums. Welcome to the Vintage Banjo Maker, please do sign up for email updates to keep in the loop about new additions to our research coming soon! 1 - First banjo completed, Bellflower, sold to Bonnie Hasting, Geoff's banjo student, on July 25th. SC.nb("hatfieldbanjos", "scrtc.com", "", "", ""); Allen & Monte Hendricks www.louzee.com Tsumura covers a great deal of his early collection (one that would grow much more). Does the peg head profile really tell you the maker? www.hicklerbanjo.com +1 (540) 230-0085 All Rights Reserved. www.stellingbanjo.com In its earliest form, the banjo can be traced as far back as 1620. . One of my folk art chairs will be in the exhibit - there are similar examples in the Smithsonian and Colonial Williamsburg collections. Banjo Mandolin early 20th century in original case. www.epiphone.com Boucher replaced the gourd with a wood-frame body, which could be mass-produced with much greater consistency. I have spent decades studying historic banjos and is happy to work with any early designs or collaborate on completely new design concepts beyond what you see here. 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.. Now owned by Geoff Stelling. 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. The Old Plantation and Gerrit Schoutens Slavendans dioramas from Suriname both appear to depict this ritual. African Banjo Echoes In Appalachia: Study Folk Traditions. Lon and Camille Decap, sons of Alos Decap who founded the firm in 1902. www.buckeyebanjos.com 3 special model, New York, circa 1915, the fingerboard intricately inlaid with abalone shell along with the Company logo to the headstock, with an open back, the label to interior of rim, 78 cm long, American banjo, by Samuel. +1 (540) 887-2313 Vega also made some of the early Bacon Professional banjos. Cannon's Jug Stompers: "Walk Right In" (1929). Create your own unique website with customizable templates. 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. Some localities in the Appalachians developed distinctive designs for homemade banjos. Chris Bozung Mastercraft banjos are handcrafted in the . www.seedersinstruments.com SC.nb("info", "omebanjos.com", "", "", ""); Scott Phillips 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. Realizing the recordings were made only a few decades earlier, disciples of the Anthology began seeking out some of the performers. Prague CZ Black musicians played the banjo to accompany singing and dancing, sometimes with percussion or hand clapping. Resonator vs. Open-back 1.2 2. Poco, New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and others carried country-rock into the 1970s and beyond. 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. www.bishlinebanjos.com It has big resonant bass notes that you don't find on a 5-string banjo, and also crisp highs for that beautiful banjo tone. +1 (931) 580-5742 More than half of the banjos and players reported were in the Chesapeake Bay states of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. A. Sloan & Son. The Banjo Reserve recently contacted Simon Middleton, Founder and Managing Director of The Great British Banjo Company, . 791 Burton Ridge Road In 1995, in Appomattox, his banjo shop was complete and his business Chanterelle Banjos was born. www.deanocraft.com www.omebanjos.com Any thoughts? +1 (800) 826-5482 Downright Divisive: Examining the Early Banjo in Colonial Jamaica Bloomington, MN USA 55431 The book profiles the most important players and spotlights key luthiers and manufacturers. In 1930, a Gibson L-1, the guitar reportedly favored by Robert Johnson, cost $50.00, the equivalent of $687.57 today. The earliest historical record of the banjo in North America was from a 1736 New-York Weekly Journal article. One of the most comprehensive lines of banjos of all types from any company. Carter's Price Guide to Antiques in Australasia is Registered Trademark of John Furphy Pty. $1,850.00 USD - Used - Excellent Condition. dphopkinsbanjos.com 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. SC.nb("danny", "sylvanbanjos.com", "", "", ""); The ultimate travel banjo by Sam Farris. No compensation or gratuity is accepted for inclusion on this list. PRAGUE, 5 Czech Republic From 1836 on, Sweeney toured the United States and Europe in blackface, becoming the first superstar of the banjo. Spencerville, IN USA 46788 Type of wood 1.4 4. Charlie Poole, who started playing a gourd banjo in his childhood, recorded many sides for Columbia Records in the late 1920s. Cover of 1843 Virginia Minstrels song book. 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. models. Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five with Johnny St. Cyr on banjo: "Gut Bucket Blues" (1926). 249 South Kane Street SC.nb("hicklerbanjo", "gmail.com", "", "", ""); Open back banjos and other folk instruments built in Orwell, NY. Glasgow, KY USA 42141 The lead finger, usually the index or middle, strikes a string or strings with a downward motion, and the thumb sometimes plucks a string as the hand returns to starting position. Mastercraft banjos have been around since the early 1970s, when the company was founded by John W. "Jack" Martin in the small town of Pickens, South Carolina. Bend, OR USA 97707 The banjo featured prominently in records manufactured and sold in the first decades of the industry. My wooden-rim banjos are made for playing contemporary "Old Time" stringband music, with aesthetic elements of Victorian-era banjos. www.romerobanjos.com Because they did not fit the White stereotype of hillbilly music, record companies were not interested in recording them, though occasionally Black musicians played in the background on records by White artists. We received a 2007 Master/Apprentice grant from the Maryland Traditional Arts Council so I could learn engraving from Kevin. +1 (517) 339-3505 While Briggs' tutor includes guitar-style playing in addition to downstroke, he was more interested in promoting his invention, the banjo thimble. The efforts of the Gretsch, Vega, Stewart, Gibson and other banjo companies standardized the commercially manufactured 5-string: 11 inch head, 22 frets, 19 inches from nut to shell, position markers at designated frets. Players formed banjo orchestras out of these family members as well as related instruments like mandolin and guitar. 18124 Bull Rapids Road The following are my criteria for inclusion in this list. League City, TX USA 77573 Just In; New Enoch Tradesman Fretless Banjo. It was tuned in fifths, like a mandolin or violin, and played by strumming with a plectrum, also known as a pick. en.pruchabanjos.cz New generations of Black musicians have taken up the instrument and are making efforts to preserve its place in African American culture. 183 Cloverdale Dr. Banjo maker Jim Hartel on the African heritage and American history of the banjo. Titusville, FL USA 32780 Burlington, WI USA 53105 Fretted instruments, such as guitars and mandolins, are generally easier to play in tune than unfretted instruments, such as violins, violas, and cellos. Progressive bluegrass, or newgrass, draws from a wider pool of musical influences than traditional bluegrass and might include more rock and jazz elements. Urbana: Illini Books, 1994. Carter's Price Guide to Antiques in Australasia is Registered Trademark of John Furphy Pty. South San Francisco, CA USA 94080 www.cedarcreekluthiers.com 2023 John Furphy Pty. No direct sales; through dealers only. 1865- Frank Converse Banjo primer published 1863-1897 James H. Buckbee Co., of New York largest maker. SC.nb("colin", "vancebanjos.com", "", "", ""); 1000 Corporate Grove Drive Year 1974 Serial Nos. Maker: Intermountain Guitar and Banjo Year: 1977 Notes: One of a handful of complete Whyte Laydie Banjos produced by Intermountain Guitar and Banjo. Provenance: The Alex & Annette Hood Collection, NSW, An Italian mandolin with label 'Giov. Banjo: An Illustrated History. +1 (570) 924-4080 SC.nb("sales", "SHSAudio.com", "", "", ""); Frank Neat The practice continued in various forms, including film, radio, and television, into the 1950s. Early European banjo-makers added a fifth string and a fretboard, and began to experiment with different tunings and string arrangements. Buffalo Grove, IL USA 60089 defunct listings were for old-time, open-back banjos and most of these were The images may have been edited by me for The Series is part of the Smithsonian Folkways Instrument Builder Collection . University of Illinois Press, 2003. They were instrumental in bringing bluegrass to a wider audience through television, radio, and live performances. Most banjos today are fretted, though some musicians play fretless. PO Box 1197 Other musicians polished up the old sounds and made slick new commercial recordings. www.hatfieldbanjos.com Shelbyville, TN USA 37160 SC.nb("will", "seedersinstruments.com", "", "", ""); Formerly J. Deering Boston 6-String Banjo Made in USA $ 2,799.00 $ 2,519.00 The Boston 6 String banjo is tuned like a guitar so guitar players can instantly start playing this type of banjo. Often this book, at least at my writing this review in 2014, will go for $150-$400. Lacona, NY USA 13083 +1 (828) 226-2286 802-829-7317 Also see the SHS online store at www.shop-shs.comand the SHS main site at www.shsint.net. It has simple friction tuning pegs, and is strung with nylon strings. A c.1920s George Houghton & Sons 'Model 3000' small banjo mandolin, eight steel strings, original bridge, fittings and case. 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. +1 (615) 456-5486 Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt left the Blue Grass Boys to form Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1948. Although there are a small number of individual craft makers of banjos in Britain, there hasn't been a 'banjo factory' producing instruments in large numbers since the 1950s. Banjos have experienced a resurgence in . Know anything? The collection became popular with urban college students and inspired many young musicians, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Jerry Garcia. Over the decades, banjos have evolved into a bewildering array of styles including open four-string and plectrum banjos, five-string banjos, as well as banjos with guitar, mandolin or ukulele necks. He's done ground breaking research on early banjo makers William Boucher Jr. and Levi Brown, and was co-curator with Greg Adams and Bob Winans of the exhibit Making Music: The Banjo, Baltimore and Beyond. By the end of the decade, other White solo banjo players in blackface became popular on the circus and variety show circuit. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. 7 years earlier was the Well built in Philadelphia (note the rosewood pot) around 1886 this 130 year old Samuel Stewart Piccolo travelled the world and ended up except Samuel S Stewart was not a well man. Eggleston, VA USA 24086 Other banjo manufacturers emerged in the 1840s and the following decades. The banjo is a stringed instrument that is, or has been, prominent in American folk, country, bluegrass. from one-man shops, so perhaps it means that competition in this segment was www.georgebanjos.com. 3733 Kenora Drive I think the banjo photographic image collection alone numbers in the thousands, including 20 daguerreotypes and numerous other Nineteenth Century images. 3563 Highway 231 North Huber Lancaster with HR-30 Tone Ring. 1215 was a good year too Well built in Philadelphia (note the rosewood pot) around 1886 this 130 year old Samuel Stewart Piccolo travelled the world and ended up. www.banjo.ie SC.nb("FleshrBnjo", "aol.com", "", "", ""); Custom open back 5-string banjos for traditional old-time music. began seeking out some of the performers.