8 of the Best & Most Famous Banjo Players
The passing of Roni Stoneman, The First Lady of Banjo, and Hee Haw regular got us thinking of legendary banjo players, not just the dueling banjos from Deliverance. Some may surprise you!
Earl Scruggs
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Known for popularizing the three-finger picking style commonly referred to as “Scruggs style,” a characteristic of bluegrass. You may know one of his songs and not realize it, “The Ballad of Jed Clampett,” better known as the theme song from The Beverly Hillbillies. He died in 2012 at the age of 88.
Roy Clark
Everett Collection
You may know Roy Clark and Buck Trent or “The Dueling Banjos.” He was also known as America’s Super Picker as a great guitar and banjo player and also for hosting the show Hee Haw. Clark died in 2018.
Kermit The Frog
Henson Associates/courtesy Everett Collection
Ever wonder why there are so many songs about rainbows? What a Muppet classic!
Dolly Parton
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Bet you didn’t know that country music icon Dolly Parton was a banjo player! The country queen knows how to write songs, perform, and play instruments. She truly does it all!
Steve Martin
NBC/Everett Collection
This SNL alum and current Only Murders in the Building comedian/actor also has a love of the banjo. He has been playing since he was a kid and incorporated music into his early comedy routines. While he eventually began to focus more on acting, he performed with various bluegrass acts over the years and played with Earl Scruggs. He won several Grammys for his music including Best Bluegrass Album and Best Country Instrumental Performance.
Pete Seeger
Everett Collection
Seeger has helped many people learn the banjo. He wrote the first version of How to Play the Five-String Banjo in 1948. He was also a folk singer and social activist, known for being a member of The Weavers in the 1950s. In the ’60s, he performed a lot of protest music. Pete Seegar died in 2014 at the age of 94.
Ralph Stanley
Everett Collection
Stanley was known for his singing and banjo playing as part of The Stanley Brothers and later The Clinch Mountain Boys. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. Stanley passed in 2016.
Béla Fleck
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Fleck is known for being an innovative banjo player and doesn’t just play bluegrass music but classical, jazz, rock, and more. He has won 15 Grammy Awards.
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November 2019
Get your toes-tapping as we give a nod to the queens of classic country music.
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