Customer Reviews

Kentucky Old-Time Banjo

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This is my all time favourite collection of banjo music. It features some really sweet sounding banjo. A few different playing styles are used by the various musicians, such as rapping or knocking, otherwise known as clawhammer, two and three finger styles and 'guitar style'. Standout performances by Earl Thomas, Blanche Coldiron, Bert Garvin, Travis Wells and Vernon and Zora Judd make this an album that all Banjo players should hear. Other recommendations are the North Carolina Banjo Collection and for those interested in historic recordings, Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina and Virgina.

The clawhammer style of playing banjo is associated with Old Time music, but this is not a totally clawhammer style recording. this is not knocking the recording, it's filled with very good tunes and performances; but if you are looking for an all clawhammer style recording, keep looking. i'd say less than 50% of the tunes are played in clawhammer. there are a lot of two and three finger style represented here as well. a recommendation for a great all clawhammer style recording try Bob Carlin's Bangin' & Sawin'.

If you like old-time banjo, get this one. It's the best banjo album I own.
There are lots of songs and they're almost all great.
My particular favorites are Blanche Coldiron's "Lonesome Road Blues" and Roscoe Holcomb's "Swannona Mountain."