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.