early banjo makers

The Old Plantation and Gerrit Schoutens Slavendans dioramas from Suriname both appear to depict this ritual. Today, the banjo can be heard in virtually every genre of music. One of two makers of the Encore Automatic Banjo, incorporated in 1896. Much of what is deemed folk music has its roots in Africa and African American tradition, notes Giddens. Open-back models, plus an interesting resophonic model. Players formed banjo orchestras out of these family members as well as related instruments like mandolin and guitar. Early Baltimore Banjo Manufacturers Pete Ross and Greg Adams will revisit the Baltimore Museum of Industry exhibit on William Boucher and what we've learned about Baltimore banjo manufacturers since then. Click the bar to view more details about the maker. You will have to see if Tran Du Ly has it, Chip passed away some years ago, great guy! +1 (650) 588-5558 SC.nb("FleshrBnjo", "aol.com", "", "", ""); Custom open back 5-string banjos for traditional old-time music. Buffalo Grove, IL USA 60089 began seeking out some of the performers. Philadelphia was a centre of activity for banjo making in the early 1880's and it may be that he was one of the wood workers that cashed in on the banjo craze. To this day, players who emulate his techniques are said to be playing either bluegrass- or Scruggs-style banjo. Will's List of Banjo Makers, Builders & Manufacturers. To the heal a metal plaque bearing 'The new Windsor/ patent zither Banjo/ A.O. These "Minstrel Era" wooden rim banjos are the result of those years of study. +1 (339) 219-3047 We are a maker of fine custom banjos including The Osprey, The JB Special, a Fretless model, and the aforementioned Hornbeam Special made from select North American Ironwood (aka Hornbeam), with a bookmatched curly maple neck.. Take a look at our History page for some background, or check out the Banjo Models page for the details on our instruments. As is typical for this early banjo style, the neck and fingerboard are made from a single piece of wood. Boucher replaced the gourd with a wood-frame body, which could be mass-produced with much greater consistency. Lindsay Lewellen 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. Tommy Jarrell and string band with Ray Chatfield on banjo: "Sally Anne" (1983). West African plucked spike lutes share three basic design features. +1 (707) 845-9524 Windsor, 94 Newhall St. Birmingham, England', 95 cm long, American ukulele banjo, by Gibson, Ub-1 model, Michigan, circa 1920s, 'The Gibson' decal to headstock, 49 cm long, Lida cased banjo with mother of pearl inlay. Charlie Poole, who started playing a gourd banjo in his childhood, recorded many sides for Columbia Records in the late 1920s. Ovilla, TX USA 75154 Murph Gribble (banjo), Albert York (guitar), and John Lusk (fiddle): "Altamont" (1946). James Hartel has been making and playing banjos on and off since 1973 when he made a banjo for his 2 year old daughter. String bands primarily provided music for square dances and step dances in southern Appalachia. Some 5-strings are made each year. Many details of these early gourd banjos are evident in the instruments built by European American banjo makers in the mid-nineteenth century. thanks, George +1 (615) 429-6835 He has published detailed research into the banjo rim construction. property of those builders. In this day and age research into most subjects can start with the internet, but sometimes what is posted is simply perpetuating a myth. 7151 New Hope Road Prominent players today include Jake Blount, Otis Taylor, Corey Harris, and Taj Mahal. The disassociation of the banjo from its African roots is starting to reverse. Gaddy, Kristina R.Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History. A c.1920s George Houghton & Sons 'Model 3000' small banjo mandolin, eight steel strings, original bridge, fittings and case. A wide array of hardware is available, ask for anything you dont see here. P.O. Over the period 1880-1930, many banjo manufacturers came and went, but a few companies have identifiable familial connections. www.hendricksbanjos.com Known today as Banjo clocks, these elegant wall clocks are prized by collectors. 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). rickardbanjos.com SC.nb("Customer.Relations", "gibson.com", "", "", ""); Handcrafted, custom banjos for over 30 years. Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Zakir Hussain: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert (2010). 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. Nashville, TN USA 37217 1739 South Sheridan Rd. www.romerobanjos.com Hello picked up an early unsigned Willard style banjo and hope to learn more. In the 1830s, a man named Joel Walker Sweeny was one of the first minstrels to play the banjo on stage. All but four of these referenced Black musicians. This is a list of builders of 5-string banjos, both Bluegrass (5-string resonator) and Traditional (open back) Box 124 Zubatho 9, 150 00 +1 (972) 617-5576 SC.nb("ken", "levandesign.com", "", "", ""); DP Hopkins, Inc. 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! He had led the progress of the 5 string banjo to its peak, both as a piece of 1873 two Johns, Dallas & Brewster, were making banjos in Oxford Street, London but after a few years they split and Dallas went out on Was something wrong with the basic Sweeney design? "African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia: A Conclusion." . SC.nb("phopkins", "united.net", "", "", ""); A division of Gibson. 1898 was a good year For all custom orders, I ask for a $300 non-refundable deposit, 1/2 of the total estimated cost of the banjo when I begin building, and the remainder upon completion. Macon incorporated multiple techniques, including clawhammer and two- and three-finger up-picking, into his banjo playing. First introduced to the United States by African Americans in southern slave communities, the early banjo was construed with a gourd head and four gut or vine strings. The banjo sported engraved and gold plated metal parts, engraved mother of pearl position markers on the . Banjo music is as popular as it has ever been. The images used in this list have been provided by their respective builders and are the copyrighted www.sloanbanjos.com More than half of the banjos and players reported were in the Chesapeake Bay states of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Downright Divisive: Examining the Early Banjo in Colonial Jamaica A.A. Farland, celebrated banjo virtuoso of the late 19th and early 20th century, didn't care for those new-fangled tone rings banjo makers of his era were putting on their high-grade instruments -- he thought they sounded "too tinny!" He also abhorred spun-over metal rims like those on S.S. Stewart's banjos for the same reason. Find an +1 (918) 551-6419 +1 (931) 580-5742 Gura, Philip F., and James F. Bollman. Other prominent bluegrass banjo players, including Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, and Bill Keith, followed in Scruggs footsteps and broke ground of their own. I have a particular love for early banjo toys, which includes makers such as Jerome Secor, Ives, Guntermann, Reed, Courier, Phalibois, Vichy, etc. No. The instrument shares design elements and playing techniques with a family of approximately eighty known West African plucked spike lutes. Plus, great banjo makers craft long-lasting instruments! Philip Allison Minstrel troupes marketed themselves as an authentic representation of Southern plantation life. pisgahbanjos.com On June 19, 2022, I finally removed Gibson from the list. en.pruchabanjos.cz The Banjo: Americas African Instrument. Epstein, Dena J. Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War. The body is a hollow gourd, calabash, or carved wood, covered like a drum with an animal hide. Carter's Price Guide to Antiques in Australasia is Registered Trademark of John Furphy Pty. from one-man shops, so perhaps it means that competition in this segment was There is likely no single ancestor of the banjo. www.banjo.ie It was tuned in fifths, like a mandolin or violin, and played by strumming with a plectrum, also known as a pick. The book profiles the most important players and spotlights key luthiers and manufacturers. The banjo is frequently associated with folk, bluegrass and country music, and has also been used in . Any thoughts? Charlotte, NC USA Check out our early banjo selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Time Capsule: Found anything interesting in grandad's loft recently? He called it his "Willard's Improved Patent Time Piece". 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. In many cases, banjos were made using gourds and animal skins. . More than period recreations, these are instruments you can comfortably bring any banjo repertoire to. By the 1850s, the banjo had become an integral part of American culture. Badageoni Georgian Kitchen In Mt. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. 18124 Bull Rapids Road In 1968, the Byrds brought it back home with their album. Much of what is deemed folk music has its roots in Africa and African American tradition, notes Giddens. 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. Prague CZ South San Francisco, CA USA 94080 Also see the SHS online store at www.shop-shs.comand the SHS main site at www.shsint.net. If you know of any builders not on this list, please let me know. +1 (503) 568-3044 245 Industrial Pkwy S. Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt left the Blue Grass Boys to form Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1948. A basic banjo that just captures the tone and playability youre looking for is an option, as is a deep well of design options from historical sources. Realizing the recordings were made only a few decades earlier, disciples of the Anthology began seeking out some of the performers. 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. With case. www.nechville.com. An entirely different approach to pot construction. Modeled on the designs of William A. Cole's 1890s banjos, this instrument has the highly-ornate inlays of the Boston banjo makers but designed with a lower action and steel strings for contemporary five-string players. No. Known is that the African slaves in America (in the 17th and 18th century) used to play some kind of simple instrument made from local materials, to accompany their songs and dances. Poco, New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and others carried country-rock into the 1970s and beyond. Between 1893 and 1917, he made more than 500 recordings of ragtime songs, marches, and minstrel material. Box 8190 Aurora, ON CAN L4G 3V5 1026 W. 6th Place in banjo orchestras, they were tuned an octave higher than a standard banjo. Scruggs was a 3-finger up-picking virtuoso who soloed frequently and took the banjo to inventive new places. +1 (615) 264-4959 www.buckeyebanjos.com The earliest instruments came to our shores as part of the slave trade. +1 (615) 456-5486 Soon, banjo making consumed much of his spare time and began to eat into his business time. Uncle Dave Macon: "Take Me Back to My Old Carolina Home". These builders may make other types as well. Continued in business into the early 1900s. We are always interested in purchasing clocks by any of the clock makers listed below. 791 Burton Ridge Road Many of the Eggleston, VA USA 24086 Temlett Maker/ London', 89 cm long, English zither banjo, by Windsor, no. Banjo: An Illustrated History. +1 (260) 657-5486 Putting that aside, the early paragraphs are informative; banjo's African roots and early American incarnations in 19th century are . +420-603-868120 The Banjo Reserve recently contacted Simon Middleton, Founder and Managing Director of The Great British Banjo Company, . 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. The album included their interpretation of Tom Dooley, a song that was already old when G.B. The Series is part of the Smithsonian Folkways Instrument Builder Collection . 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. There are more than eighty-five documented banjo sightings in North America between 1736 and 1840. League City, TX USA 77573 In 1968, the Byrds brought it back home with their album Sweetheart of the Rodeo, hailed by many as among the first country-rock albums. Fairview, TN USA Excellent student model, The Windsor 'Pyxe' banjo, c. 1920's, with original case. 7 years earlier was the. +1 (951) 486-1456 In its earliest form, the banjo can be traced as far back as 1620. . Starting in the 1880s, amateur musicians formed banjo, mandolin, and guitar (BMG) clubs. During the late 1920s, he recorded for various companies race record lines, which captured African American, In the late 1930s, mandolinist, singer, songwriter Bill Monroe formed The Blue Grass Boys, the band primarily responsible for developing bluegrass music. The 1890s brought the dawn of recorded sound with Thomas Edisons phonograph and Emile Berliners gramophone. Sweeney, of course, went on to become a famous blackface entertainer; Ferguson, who taught Dan Emmett to play the banjo, might have followed a similar path, but died of yellow fever in New Orleans in 1841. How many strings? +1 (417) 839-5951 www.stonebanjo.com +1 (540) 887-2313 The banjo became his instrument of choice in work as an activist and advocate for folk music and group singing. Banjo mandolin with unusual ivory & ebony fretboard & head, back decorated with timber specimens. SC.nb("danny", "sylvanbanjos.com", "", "", ""); The ultimate travel banjo by Sam Farris. Tom & Fintan Cussen 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. In reality, they were far from that, but they did incorporate elements from both Black and White folk culture. Huber Lancaster with HR-30 Tone Ring. Tim Gardner 9700 Humboldt Avenue South +1 (619) 464-8252 +1 (303) 449-0041 3563 Highway 231 North Early American Clock Makers This partial list highlights some of the more well known early American clock makers. They were instrumental in bringing bluegrass to a wider audience through television, radio, and live performances. P.O. 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. Now owned by Geoff Stelling. . Provenance: Previously owned by George Graham, a professional musician who played in the Auckland area 1930's. These books demonstrate a transition in playing technique from the African-rooted downstroke, utilized by Black musicians and. 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. In 1952, Folkways Records released Anthology of American Folk Music, which prompted tremendous interest in the raw, rural sounds of the banjo. SC.nb("dean", "deanocraft.com", "", "", ""); Home of Tenbrooks, Vega, and the ubiquitous Goodtime models. Clarence Tom Ashley, Dock Boggs, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Buell Kazee, and other rural banjoists recorded in the 1920s using various techniques. PRAGUE, 5 Czech Republic James Hartel has been making and playing banjos on and off since 1973 when he made a banjo for his 2 year old daughter. 3656 Hopkins Avenue He has documented the exact dimensions, construction techniques and detailed characteristics of each individual instrument that he replicates. www.sagamusic.com. A Reliance banjo hardwood neck with nickelplated and wood body in a wood case. PO Box 1197 SC.nb("greg", "buckeyebanjos.com", "", "", ""); Rostislav ?apek North Port, FL USA 34290 (412) 303-8461 Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2007. Unique, clever, a must-see. 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. Black string bands still performed at community dances at this time. These two earliest known white banjo players could both claim Appalachia as "home." Americas Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century. 84 Womack Street placement or size. 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. 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. Sharing design elements with many similar West African instruments, the banjo developed in the Caribbean during the first century of the transatlantic slave trade. It was played exclusively by Africans in America and African Americans during colonial times and the early United States. In 2019, Giddens, in collaboration with Black banjo players Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell, released the album Songs of Our Native Daughters. Pioneers of progressive bluegrass include John Hartford, New Grass Revival, featuring banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, and J.D. 3 banjo with hardwood neck and nickel plated body, leatherette case. 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. 137 Utah Avenue His three-finger guitar style had a significant influence on the bluegrass players of the 1940s. 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. Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five with Johnny St. Cyr on banjo: "Gut Bucket Blues" (1926). SC.nb("banjobart", "aol.com", "", "", ""); Rob Bishline The Byrds with John Hartford on banjo: "I Am a Pilgrim" (1968). The most technically advanced banjo of the early minstrel period. Akeman played in the older clawhammer style and rarely took an improvised solo. It features 100 "milestone instruments" with in-depth coverage, including model details and beautiful photos. 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. Apologies for being away and thanks to our resident designer Ginny for putting the site back together. Virtuosos like Bela Fleck have continued to extend the range of what a banjo can do. +1 (931) 580-5742 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 Sold by in for You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg. sites.google.com. SC.nb("tom", "banjo.ie", "", "", ""); Jeffrey P. Kramer Began building full time in2014. What type of banjo is best for beginners: Acoustic or electric? Most banjos today are fretted, though some musicians play fretless. SC.nb("fnbanjo", "duo-county.com", "", "", ""); Unique. Other musicians polished up the old sounds and made slick new commercial recordings. www.brooksbanjos.com SC.nb("rooster", "cloverlickbanjoshop.com", "", "", ""); Dean O. Robinson In the 1880s and 1890s, banjo makers created different members of the banjo family such as bass banjo and piccolo banjo. He spotted the banjo at a New York fair and said it was being played in celebration of an unspecified holiday. Founded in 1959 by John Sloan, continued by Peter Sloan, and in 2012 acquired by the Allisons. Two little gems from opposites sides of the pond, Contact us if you would like your link here, Copyright 2012-22 vintagebanjomaker.com. Ken LeVan +1 (270) 866-4515 hoytbanjos.com problem with this list? Today, the banjo can be heard in virtually every genre of music. +1 (724) 943-4581 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. 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. +1 (800) 877-6863 Please contact us with any questions or inquiries. +1 (303) 324-6732 Emmylou Harris, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Neil Young, the Eagles, Pure Prairie League, Linda Ronstadt, and Gillian Welch have created music within these spaces, often featuring banjo in their recordings. Ltd. 2023 John Furphy Pty. 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. Page updated 3-2-2023 Please Visit our Home Page for links to our guitars, fiddles, mandolins, and more. While musical tradition runs strong in bluegrass, a generation of younger players started taking the music in new directions in the 1970s. The ensemble included banjo, fiddle, tambourine, and bones, a percussion instrument made from animal rib or shin bones. Don't buy the DIY banjo kits; you'll never get satisfaction if something is wrong. Farris Travel Banjo Company Gus Cannon was a versatile and influential African American banjo player. This is surely a disturbing trend. Call me a sap; it hurt. SC.nb("stonebanjocompany", "gmail.com", "", "", ""); From the Sullivans of First Quality Music fame. 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.. She may have been the first Appalachian banjo player to cut a commercial record. A c.1920-30s Slingerlands Nite Hawk four-string banjo, with inlaid details to sides and back. 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. Their attempts to elevate the instrument disassociated it from its African roots. The tenor banjo lacked the short fifth string, which provided a single-note musical drone. Charlie Poole with the North Carolina Ramblers: "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues" (1927). Today, Levinger is the proprietor of Players Vintage Instruments, where he buys and sells vintage guitars, mandolins, banjos, and other musical instruments. Moreover, the accompanying illustration of the Creole-Bania in the top right corner of Narrative's Plate 69, "Musical Instruments of the African Negroes" (1790/1796, 1988/2010: 539 . The banjo clock was developed at the beginning of the 19th Century by renowned clock maker Simon Willard in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

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