PBS: Give Me The Banjo

[larrys]

There was a TV documentary on PBS in the US last week which may prove interesting to enthusiasts of the 5-string banjo. Narrated by Steve Martin, it's a comprehensive history of the instrument in America since the slave trade brought it.

In Scandinavia you won't be able to catch re-runs, of course, but you can stream it online:

video.pbs.org/video/2164506461

[Niklas V-G]

That was really entertaining.


I thoughtthat it was kind of similar to the documentry "Echos of America" though.

Even som of the people was in both docs =)

I guess it was time to make a new one though, since "Echoes of America" must be at least 20 years old?

[larrys]

Same history, different author...

I saw that one too, and it was a long time ago, probably early 90's....?

The popularity of the banjo seems to run in waves throughout the last half century or so. After experiencing a brief spurt in the 60's, during the time when "The Beverly Hillbillies" was on TV, it declined until the arrival of "Duelling Banjos" in the movie "Deliverance'.

These days comedian Steve Martin is once more giving the banjo a lot of exposure to the general population through his using the instrument on a lot of his appearances. I fear, though, that the banjo and it's music will always have a minor following, and will never be as popular as the guitar, for instance.

[piotr]

Within one bar I knew this was "someone playing in Eddie Adcock's style" ...
I suppose you know he had brain surgery with a banjo in his hands.





en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Adcock#Surgery