Some Sh!t About The Banjo You Probably DIDN'T Know

by tbanarchy

When some-or many-people think about the banjo, they usually think about the opening scene of that Deliverance flick where that creepy-ass hillbilly kid plays that "Dueling Banjos" song.

Before, of course, that porky guy gets, er, porked out in the woods by that psychotic hillbilly!

"Squeal like a pig!" indeed!

Anyway, did you know the banjo was an African instrument?

Slaves would make homemade banjos out of things like gourds that would sometimes only have one string.

Again, when people think of banjo pickers they usually think of white guys like, say, Steve Martin.

Yes, the comedian!

So does THIS mean Steve is "guilty" of that "cultural appropriation" we're ALWAYS hearing about?

Just asking!

I myself had a banjo once years ago. I learned to strum a couple of chords on it and pick on it a little.

It turns out I was a FAR better gee-tar picker than a banjo player!

Speaking of gee-tar, a recent article published in Rolling Stone (yeah, I know!) lamented (sort of) about the "death" of the guitar solo in (mostly) rock music.

And, just like everything ELSE in this society nowadays, the writer of said article turned it "political" as they wrote: "Is there anything more male and (largely) white than a guitar solo?"

Yeah, take THAT, B.B. King!

And THAT, Jimi Hendrix! (Whom the article actually mentions, BTW.)

And let's NOT forget Lita Ford!

I could go on but you get the picture, don't you?

And, while we're at it, there are also some known female banjo players such as Abigail Washburn who's married to noted banjoist Bela Fleck.

One of the most famous African-American banjo players was Uncle John Scruggs-who was born to slave parents-who was known in the 20s & 30s.

Going back to Rolling Stone, does anyone remember back when RS was actually one of the coolest rock mags around?

Me neither!

At least it's been a while since they've falsely accused any college students of gang rape.

Just saying!