The Banjo on Record: A Bio-Discography (Discographies) [Hardcover]

Uli Heier (Editor), Rainer E. Lotz (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 031328492X | ISBN-13: 978-0313284922 | Publication Date: June 30, 1993

The appeal of the banjo has been shown to be timeless and universal---adaptable to almost any form of popular music. It was one of just a few instruments that could be faithfully reproduced in the early days of sound recording, and its recording history dates back to 1889. Heier documents that history on cylinders and 78-rpm disks in the pre-LP era ending in the mid-1950s. The book offers a comprehensive compilation of all such recordings on which the banjo plays a solo role or dominant part. Organized by performer or performing group, the recordings are listed chronologically with location, date, matrix number, and take-digit as available, as well as manufacturer and catalog number. Biographical information on the banjoist is provided wherever possible, and all performers anywhere in the world known to have recorded any type of music on banjo are included even if no data on the actual disks is available. Introduced in a foreword by British discographer Brian Rust, the discography also includes a narrative account of the banjo in phonograph recording history by Lowell Schreyer and an essay on the history of the banjo itself by Robert Lloyd Webb. In addition to the discography proper, the editors have provided a preface, "A Quick Look at the Banjo Family," identifying the instruments; an extensive bibliography of sources; an index of all tune titles; and reproductions of 92 recording labels. These elements all combine to make this volume a true "discopedia" of the banjo.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Absolutely everything that can be known about the banjo is included in this book. Those who want to know anything about the banjo have ample opportunity here to learn it. Don't drop this instrument!”–Reviews in Popular Culture/American Cultures Studies

About the Author

ULI HEIER is working for the German SPD parliamentary group.

RAINER E. LOTZ is an engineer, economist, development banker, publisher, and university lecturer, employed as Head of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 664 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press (June 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031328492X
• ISBN-13: 978-0313284922
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,163,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)