THE BIRTH OF THE BANJO: JOEL WALKER SWEENEY AND EARLY MINSTRELSY

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THE BIRTH OF THE BANJO: JOEL WALKER SWEENEY AND EARLY MINSTRELSY by Bob Carlin: Sweeney was, in essence, the Elvis Presley of the 1840s. He introduced mainstream America to a music and an instrument - the banjo. Sweeney, an Irish-American, sampled African-American music at a young age. He then added more traditional sounds, creating a new form. The only avenue then available to a professional banjo player was the minstrel show, which Sweeney used. The book provides an overview of early banjo music, beginning with the banjo's introduction to America and Great Britain. Correcting previous fallacies (such as Sweeney's supposed development of the five-string banjo), the work discusses Sweeney's roots, music and contribution to the physical development of the instrument. Appendix with performance chronology. 193 pp.
542-154 .. $35.00

Gear & Accessories Department: KYSER QUICK CHANGE BANJO CAPO (Accessories)

Recordings Department: Clarke Buehling - OUT OF HIS GOURD: EARLY AMERICAN GOURD BANJO INSTRUMENTALS AND SONGS (Old Time Banjo)

Books Department: THE BANJO ENTERTAINERS: ROOTS TO RAGTIME, A BANJO HISTORY - by Lowell H. Schreyer (Folklore & Music History)

Gear & Accessories Department: AQUILA "CLASSICAL" BANJO SET (Strings)

Books Department: RING THE BANJAR! - by Robert Lloyd Webb (Instrument History)