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Historic Bibliographies and Reference Aids
A Bibliography of the History and Playing Styles of the Five-String
Banjo
Compiled by: Robert J. Clayton
Publication Date: January 26, 1976
Adler, Thomas A.
"Manual Formulaic Composition: Innovation in Bluegrass Banjo
Styles." Journal of Country Music, volume 5, number 2,
Summer 1974, pp. 55-64. Reprinted in Banjo
Newsletter, volume
2, number 12, October 1975, pp. 4-8.
"The Physical Development of the Banjo," New
York Folklore Quarterly, volume 28, number 3, September 1972, pp.
187-208.
Ahrens, Pat J.
A History of the Musical careers of Dewitt "Snuffy" Jenkins,
Banjoist, and Homer "Pappy" Sherrill, Fiddler. West
Columbia, S.C.: Wentworth Corp., 1970.
Anonymous.
"Cadwell's Banjo." New Yorker, volume 45, number 8,
April 12, 1969, pp. 39-41.
Armstrong, Thomas J.
"Evolution of the Modern Banjo." Seattle
Folklore Society Journal, volume 3, number 2, December 1971,
pp. 18-20. [Reprinted from Frets (New York), volume
1, number 5, July 1925.]
B.M.G.
Volume 1, October 1903, to present. London: Clifford Essex Music
Co. Subtitle: The Monthly Magazine Devoted
to the Interests of the Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar, and Kindred
Instruments.
Bacon, Fred J.
"The Evolution of the Banjo." Music
Trades, volume
78, number 3, March 1930, p. 26.
Bailey, Jay.
"Historical Origin and Stylistic Developments of the Five
String Banjo." Journal of American
Folklore, volume 85,
number 335, January-March 1972, pp. 58-65.
Baroody, Elizabeth.
"Banjo: The Sound of America." Early
American Life,
volume 7, number 2, April 1976, pp. 56-57, 68.
Bastable, John.
"The Diabolical Frying-Pan." Footnote, volume 1, number 4, 1970,
pp. 17-19.
Bluestein, Gene.
"America's Folk Instrument: Notes of the Five-String Banjo." Western
Folklore, volume 23, number 4, October 1964, pp. 241-248. Reprinted
as "The Five-String Banjo—America's Folk Instrument," in
The Voice of the Folk: Folklore and American
Literary Theory (Amherst: Univ. of Massachusetts Press, 1972), pp. 151-158.
Brown, J. C., Jr.
"Five-String Banjo." In Chaney, James A., ed., Carolina
County Reader, Durham, N.C.: Moore Publishing Co., 1973, pp.
84-102.
Bussard, Joe, Wilson Reeves and Leon Kagrise.
"Buell Kazee Talking." Old Time Music, number 6, Autumn 1972, pp.
6-9.
The Cadenza.
Volume 1, number 1, September-October 1894, through volume 31,
number 22, February 1924. First published in Kansas City, Mo.
Last published by Walter Jacobs, Inc., Boston.
Calkins, Carroll.
"How We Almost Invented the Banjo." House
Beautiful,
volume 107, number 2, February 1965, pp. 22-28.
Cohen, John.
"Banjos, Banjos, and More Banjos: About Frailing, Claw-Hammering
and the Popular Styles Today." Hootenanny, volume 1, number
2, March 1964, pp. 9, 65-66.
"Bascom Lamar Lunsford's Banjo Style." Sing
Out!,
volume 22, number 4, July-August 1973, p. 6.
"Introduction to Styles of Old-Time Music." The
New Lost City Ramblers Song Book, New York: Oak Publications, 1964,
pp. 10-21.
"Ralph Stanley's Old-Time Mountain Bluegrass." Sing
Out!, volume 23, number 6, January-February 1975, pp. 2-6.
Cohen, Stuart J.
"Banjo Craftsmen and Manufacturers." Mugwumps'
Instrument Herald, volume 1, number 4, July 1972, pp. 3-6.
Collins, George H.
"The Engel Instrument." Ralph
Stanley International Fan Club Newsletter, June 1969, pp. 20-23.
Conway, Cecelia and Tommy Thompson.
"Talking Banjo." Southern Exposure, volume 2, number
1, Spring-Summer 1974, pp. 63-66.
Coughlin, Michael.
"The Banjo." Folk Letter, volume 4, number
5, May 1974, pp. 5-7. Reprinted in Half-Lyre, volume 13, number
3, May-June 1975, pp. 5-11.
The Crescendo.
Volume 1, number 1, July 1908, through volume 25, number 12,
December 1933. Boston: The Crescendo Publishing Co. Various
subtitles include: A Monthly Publication
Devoted to the Interests of the Mandolin, Guitar and Banjo
and The Fretted Instrument Journal.
Davis, Burke.
"The Swinging Sweeneys." Iron
Worker, volume 33, number
4, Autumn 1969, pp. 2-11.
Doyle, Bob.
"The Classical Banjo." Pennsylvania
State University Folklore Society Newsletter, volume 1, number 1, Fall 1973, p.
3.
Epstein, Dena J.
"The Folk Banjo: A Documentary History." Ethnomusicology,
volume 19, number 3, September 1975, pp. 347-371.
Fretted Instrument News.
Published ca. 1932-1958 as "Official Organ of the American
Guild of Banjoists, Mandolinists and Guitarists," Providence,
R.I.
Fretts.
Volume 1, 1958, to present. Santa Anna, CA.: Randall Publishing
Co. Combination of Fretted Instrument
News and Music Studio
News. Features series on "The American Banjo" by
George H. Collins.
George, Frank.
"5-String Banjo." Appalachian
South, volume 2, number
1, Spring-Summer 1967, pp. 52-53.
Gordon, Robert Winslow.
Folk-Songs of America. New York: National Service Bureau, Federal
Theater Project, WPA, 1938. Pp. 78-84: "Banjo Songs." Reprinted
from the New York Times Magazine, January 1, 1928.
Green, James D., Jr.
"A Musical Analysis of the Banjo Style of Earl Scruggs:
An Examination of Country Music (Mercury [phonodisc] MG 20358)." Journal
of Country Music, volume 5, number 1, Spring 1974, pp. 31-37.
Gruhn, George, with Douglas Green.
"Gibson Banjos." Bluegrass Unlimited, volume 7, number
10, April 1973, pp. 27-29.
"A Photo Guide to the Bluegrass Instruments." Muleskinner
News, volume 3, number 3, May 1972, pp. 44-50.
Haring, Lee.
"Banjo Styles." Country Dancer, Summer 1963, pp. 18-22;
Winter 1963-1964, pp. 4-8.
Harris, Joel Chandler.
"Plantation Songs." The Critic, volume 3, December 15, 1883, pp.
505-506.
Heaton, Cherrill P.
"The 5-String Banjo in North Carolina." Southern
Folklore Quarterly, volume 35, number 1, March 1971, pp. 62-82. Reprinted
in Mugwumps', volume 1, number 3, May 1972, pp. 11-13; Gigue,
volume 9, June 1975, pp. 11-17; Banjo Newsletter, volume 3, number
5, March 1976, pp. 5-9.
Hinckinbottom, F.
"S.S. Stewart and His Banjos." B.M.G., volume 66,
number 772, September 1969, pp. 360-361; volume 67, number 773,
October 1969, pp. 7-8.
Hornbeck, Paul.
"An Interview with Buell Kazee." The
Newsletter (Mariposa
Folk Festival), number 4, February 1976, pp. 7-9.
Horwitz, Elinor Lander.
Mountain People, Mountain Crafts. Philadelphia: J. B.
Lippincott, 1974. "Dulcimers, Banjos and Fiddles," pp.
20-33.
Howard, Norman.
"The Banjo and Its Players, Collected from Various Sources." New
York: 1959. Typescript, New York Public Library, Music Division.
Johnson, Robert.
"Stewart Banjos." Relics, volume 3, number 4, December 1969, pp.
10-12, 24.
Jones, Loyal.
"The Minstrel of the Appalachians: Bascom Lamar Lunsford
at 91." John Edwards Memorial Foundation
Quarterly, volume
9, number 1, Spring, 1973, pp. 2-6.
Kaufman, Eli.
"S. S. Stewart Banjos." Mugwumps', volume 2, number
3, May 1973, pp. 3-4; number 4, July 1973, pp. 15-16.
Keeler, G. A.
"Banjo." Grove's Dictionary of
Music and Musicians,
5th edition, edited by Eric Blom, London: MacMillan and Co.,
1954, volume 1, pp. 401-403.
Krassen, Miles.
Clawhammer Banjo. New York: Oak Publications, 1974.
Krick, George C.
"The Banjo." The Etude, volume 56, number 3, March 1938, pp. 192,
198.
Ladner, Robert.
"Behold, the Noble Banjo." Music
Journal, volume 26,
number 5, May 1968, pp. 23, 49.
Lawless, Ray M.
Folksingers and Folksongs in America. Revised Edition, New York:
Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1965. Pp. 250-251: "The Banjo."
Loar, Lloyd A.
"Banjo Geneaology." Crescendo, volume 17, number 7,
January 1925, pp. 6, 28-29. Abridged in Seattle
Folklore Society Newsletter, volume 1, number 4, June 15, 1970, pp. 22-23.
Lornell, Kip (Christopher).
"Pre-Blues Banjo and Fiddle." Living
Blues, number
18, Autumn 1974, pp. 25-27.
"Pre-Blues Black Music in Piedmont North Carolina." North
Carolina Folklore Journal, volume 23, number 1, 1975, pp. 26-32.
Lornell, Kip (Christopher) and J. Roderick
Moore.
"Clarence Tross: Hardy County Banjoist." Goldenseal,
volume 2, number 3, July-September 1976, pp. 7-12.
McCabe, Elizabeth Maddox.
"The Banjo: Made in America." Music
Journal, volume
23, number 5, May 1965, pp. 30-31, 44.
Mitchell, Eugenia.
"Banjo: The Odd Lute." Music
Journal, volume 25, number
5, May 1967, pp. 33, 68-69.
Mitsui, Toru.
Eikei Amerika Minzoku-Ongaku No Gakki [The
Instruments of Anglo-American Traditional Music]. Kanazawa, Japan: Traditional-Song Society,
1970. "Five-String Banjo," pp. 89-116.
Morgan, Tom.
Gibson Banjo Information. Wheaton, Md.: Bluegrass Unlimited,
1966. Reprinted in Bluegrass Unlimited, volume 5, number 7, January
1971, pp. 11-16. Also in Bluegrass Unlimited, volume 8, Special
Program Edition, June 1974, pp. 13-17.
Murphy, Cathy.
"Ruminations on Clawhammer Banjo." The
Newsletter (Mariposa Folk Festival), November 1976, pp. 10-12.
Myers, Steve.
"The Return of the Banjo." Esquire, volume 80, number
5, November 1973, pp. 171-175.
Nathan, Hans.
Dan Emmett and the Rise of Early Negro Minstrelsy. Norman:
University of Oklahoma Press, 1962.
"The Early Banjo Tunes and American Syncopation." Musical
Quarterly, volume 13, number 4, October 1956, pp. 455-472.
Nitchie, Hub, ed.
Banjo Newsletter. Volume 1, November 1973 to present.
Odell, Scott.
"Folk Instruments." Arts in Virginia, volume 12, number 1, Fall
1971, pp. 31-37.
Polacheck, Dave.
"Interview with Earl Scruggs." Reel Times, number 6, January 1977,
pp. 7-9; number 7, March 1977, pp. 7-10.
Radar, Chuck.
"Banjars to Banjos." Bluegrass Central, volume 1, number 7, February-March
1973, pp. 11-12.
Reno, Don.
The Musical History of Don Reno: His Life,
His Songs. Riverdale,
Md.: Don Reno Productions, 1975.
Rice, Edward Le Roy.
Monarchs of Minstrelsy, from "Daddy" Rice to Date.
New York: Kenny Publishing Co., 1911.
Richard, Marjorie.
"Ome Banjo Company." Bluegrass
Unlimited, volume 8,
number 6, December 1973, pp. 19-21.
Richelieu, C. C.
"The Banjo: America's Own Musical Instrument." In
Country Music Who's Who, 1965 Edition. Denver: Heather
Publications, 1964, Part 5, July 1972, pp. 6, 8.
Rorrer, Clifford Kinney.
"Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers." Country,
volume 1, number 5, July 1972, pp. 26-27.
Rosenbaum, Art.
Old-Time Mountain Banjo: An Instruction
Method for Playing the Old-Time Five-String Mountain Banjo Based
on the Styles of Traditional Banjo-Pickers. New York: Oak Publications, 1968.
The Art of the Mountain Banjo: A Survey
of Traditional Banjo Styles with Tunings, Playing Tips, and Musical
Notes. Berkeley
Kicking Mule Publishing, 1975.
Rowlett, Darrell.
"The Banjo: Born in Dixie." Music
Journal, volume
27, number 4, April 1969, p. 76.
"The Banjo." Square Dance, volume 26, number 2, February
1971, pp. 13-14.
Scruggs, Mrs. Earl.
"Earl Scruggs: The Legend and the Man." Muleskinner
News, volume 3, number 1, January-February 1972, pp. 2-9.
"History of the 5-string Banjo." Tennessee
Folklore Society Bulletin, volume 27, number 1, March
1961, pp. 1-5. Reprinted as "A History of American's Favorite
Folk Instrument," Sing
Out!, volume 13, number 5, December, January 1963-1964,
pp. 26-29. Extracted in Scruggs, Earl, Earl
Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo, New York: Peer International, 1968, pp. 9-16.
Seeger, Peter.
How to Play the 5-String Banjo. Third edition, New York: Oak
Publications, 1961.
Sharpe, A. P.
The Complete Guide to the Instruments of
the Banjo Family. London:
Clifford Essex Music Co., New York: Mills Music, 1966.
Shrubsall, Wayne.
"Ralph Stanley's Banjo Style." Sing
Out!, volume 23,
number 6, January-February 1975, pp. 7-8.
Sieker, Rolf.
"Die historische Entwicklung des 5-String Banjo." Country
Corner, volume 7, [sic: 8], number 34, April 1973, pp. 12, 14-15.
Smedley, George F.
"Evolution of the Banjo." Crescendo, volume 25, number
2, December 1932, p. 13; number 3, January 1933, pp. 4, 13.
Stewart, Samuel Swain.
The Banjo: A Dissertation. Philadelphia: S. S. Stewart,
1888.
"The Banjo Philosophically: "Its Construction,
Its Capabilities, Its Evolution, Its Place as a Musical Instrument,
Its Possibilties and Its Future: A Lecture. Philadelphia: S.S.
Stewart, 1887. Reprinted in Mugwumps', volume 3, number 4, July
1974, pp. 11-13, 18-22.
S. S. Stewart's Banjo, Guitar and Mandolin
Journal. Philadelphia:
S. S. Stewarts, May 1883-April 1901.
S. S. Stewarts's Extra Fine Banjos. Philadelphia:
S. S. Sewart, 1896. Reprint ed., Silver Spring, Md.: Mugwumps'
Instrument Herald, 1973.
Sturgill, David A.
"Bingo **Bongo** Banjo." Bluegrass
Unlimited, volume
9, number 3, September 1974, pp. 18-19.
Toll, Robert C.
Blacking Up: The Minstrel Show in Nineteenth-Century
America.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1974.
Tottle, Jack.
"Big Banjo from Boston: Don Stover." Bluegrass
Unlimited.
Volume 7, number 9, March 1973, pp. 7-10.
Trischka, Tony.
"Bill Keith." Bluegrass Unlimited, volume 10, number
6, December 1975, pp. 12-15.
Warner, Frank and Anne.
"Frank Noah Proffitt: A Retrospective." Appalachian
Journal, volume 1, number
3, August 1973, pp. 163-193.
Webb, Robert L.
"Banjos on Their Saddle Horns." American
History Illustrated,
volume 11, number 2, May 1976, pp. 11-20.
Weisberg, Eric.
"Banjo on My Knees." ARC TV
Hootenanny, volume 1,
number 1, January 1974, pp. 70-71. Reprinted in Folksouthern,
number 31, April 1976, pp. 2-3.
Wigginton, B. Eliot, ed.
Foxfire 3. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Press/ Doubleday,
1975. "Banjos
and Dulcimers," pp. 120-207. Reprinted from Foxfire, volume
8, number 3, Fall 1974.
Williams, Michael S.
"An Incredibly Short History of the Instruments Found in
Bluegrass Music Today." Colorado Bluegrass
Music Society Newsletter, number 26, October 1974, pp. 3-7.
Winans, Robert B.
"The Folk, The Stage and the Five-String Banjo in the Nineteenth
Century." Journal of American Folklore, volume 89, number
354, October-December 1976, pp. 407-437.
Wittke, Carl F.
Tambo and Bones: A History of the American
Minstrel Stage. Durham,
N.C.: Duke University Press, 1930; reprint ed., New York: Greenwood
Press, 1968.
Woodward, Arthur.
"Joel Sweeney and the First Banjo." Los
Angeles County Museum Quarterly, volume 7, number 3, Spring 1949, pp. 7-11.
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