Rhiannon Giddens Instagram – Feb 16
Black Banjo Renaissance #5
The Banjo Research Community
I am merely a reporter and public historian, and I absolutely NEED the academics, researchers, and all around geniuses who have been doing the amazing excavation of the true history of the banjo for years now. I’m gonna lay down my top five favorite sources for the work I do – this community is tight-knit, and they support each other and check each other’s work. It’s beautiful and I’m grateful for them all.
The OG:
Dena Epstein, with
Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War
This book completely shook up the banjo research world – Dena Epstein was a librarian who painstakingly and over the course of years tracked down primary source references to banjo-type instruments in the hands of black people; this was during a time when very few people believed that the banjo had anything to do with Afro-Caribbean culture. We all stand on her shoulders!
The NewG
Kristina Gaddy, with
Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo’s Hidden History
This recent publication took my breath away – Kristina has found new sources, reframed old ones, and in general talks about what I always new in my heart – that the banjo, far from just a dance instrument, was in fact a spiritual and cultural center for African-diasporic peoples during the time of slavery.
Phil Jamison, with
Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics: Roots and Branches of Southern Appalachian Dance
Phil blew my mind years ago when he told this little black girl dance caller that African Americans have been doing it for years, and in fact most likely invented the iconic square dance calling style we all associate with mountain dance today. The whole book is a treasure.
(Cont.) | Posted on 16/Feb/2024 21:49:40
