Typically when you think of banjo music, you think of Dixie, Country,and of course, the Blues. Banjo and the Blues have a very strong connection but the interesting thing is that the type of Blues played is influenced by various areas of the country. Each offers a unique soundeven though it all comes from the same instrument. The banjo is a veryspecial instrument that creates a sound like none other.

Both the banjo and fiddle have been popular instruments in the African American culture stretching out close to 300 years. Since the early part of the 18th century, both whites and blacks have been playing the banjo, interchanging styles and the love for this instrument. Then in the late 1800s and even into the early 1900s, you would find a number of different style performances, specifically changing from one region to another. For example, the style of banjo playing found in the Mississippi Delta is much different from the style heard in the Virginia Piedmont.

Black musicians had a major influence on banjo tunes and style beginning in the late 1800s. One famous player was Gus Cannon, also known as “Banjo Joe”. He was often joined by Blind Blake. Banjo Joe made recordings for Paramount Records in 1927 that made his “frailing”, slide style, and rolling patterns famous.

Today, you hear banjo played with a square dance type sound, swing, blue grass, and everything in between. The music played in the late 1800s had a more fluid sound, almost like good friends gathering for a good, old-fashioned jam session. The sound back then was accented with off beats and speckled with rhythm. What we hear more of today is a stiffer sound. While still a wonderful instrument, you cannot help but miss the old playing of Allen Shelton and many of the other famous banjo players that knew how to cut loose.