COLLECTING BANJOS Paperback – September 10, 2020

COLLECTING BANJOS is the new title to my successful ebook, An Informal History Of The Banjo. But it is so much more! Collecting Banjos is available in both Paperback and eBook formats, with even more antique banjos, more color photos (over 200!), and more banjo history. Every old banjo has a story to tell, and I've learned something new from each one. I really enjoy sharing that knowledge and these stories. Banjo history IS America: From black slave music played on primitive gourd banzas; minstrel banjos played by traveling musicians; Civil War soldiers posing with a banjo for a tintype; sophisticated banjos with intricate inlay played in Victorian parlors; cheap mail-order banjos played by rural sharecroppers; and homemade mountain instruments in the Southern Appalachians. The 19th Century saw a variety of banjos and playing styles. Stroke-style, classical finger picking, and what eventually became Clawhammer --it was all American Roots music, played by rich and poor alike on America's instrument. Buy a copy and see if you don't find the history of the banjo, and banjo collecting, fascinating. It's a great gift idea, too! Read more