The Glory-Beaming Banjo

This morning brought the sad news that Benton Flippen , the legendary fiddler from Mount Airy, N.C., died yesterday. Benton Flippen was a fixture at old-time fiddlers convention and was noted for his distinctive fingering style, which included many slides. In 1990, he won the North Carolina Heritage Award for his musical contributions. There are many recordings available of Mr. Flippen: Old Time, New Tunes An Evening at WPAQ, 1984 (with the Smokey Valley Boys) 270 Haystack Rd.  (with the Smokey Valley Boys) Fiddler's Dream  (with the Smokey Valley Boys) Beware of Dog  (with the Smokey Valley Boys) The Banjo Hangout has a nice little tribute to Mr. Flippen in the forums. His obituary is also available. Below, he plays his signature tune, "Benton's Dream." ***UPDATED June 30, 2011: The Mount Airy News pays tribute to Benton Flippen

Earlier this summer Craig "Frailin" Evans embarked on a tour of the eastern portion of North America to interview banjo builders as part of a project to document this "golden era" of artisans. He also spoke to a number of musicians and retailers to gain their perspective about our favorite instrument and these craftsmen. Next year, Evans will tour the western part of the continent. The result will be The North American Banjo Builder Series , which he plans to make available by DVD and as pay-per-view online episodes. He recently established a website for the project at www.northamericanbanjobuilders.com . The seeds of the banjo builder project can be seen in a  series of webinars  Evans conducted and posted at the Banjo Hangout . To get a glimpse of how the banjo builder series will look, he produced a video about Minnesota mandolin and guitar builder  Lloyd LaPlant . You can also check out this introductory video where Frailin explains why he's doing this ...

Smakula Fretted Instruments has one of those websites that makes a vintage banjo enthusiast drool from both corners of his mouth. Proprietor Bob Smakula buys, sells and repairs instruments, with a focus on banjos, fiddles, guitars and mandolins. He started his business in 1989, when he moved to Elkins, W.Va., from Cleveland, where he worked with his father, the late Peter Smakula , at Goose Acres. It was his father who introduced him to the banjo and helped spawn his interest in old-time music. “My father was a respectable banjo player and played both old-time styles and bluegrass,” he says. “After a long day of work for a major corporation, he would come home and play banjo for at least an hour before dinner. Always hearing banjo music while growing up kept my interest. When I was about 10, I had my dad show me basic clawhammer rhythm on the banjo.” However, a lack of attention span caused a bit of a delay in applying those banjo lessons until the age of 15. That summer, in 1974,...

Some Christians believe the Rapture will come tomorrow, and some people think that's a perfect occasion to bust out the banjos and play some old-time music. John Walkenbach, banjo player and author of The J-Walk Blog , posted this entry about the " Rapture Jam ": "wormpicker came up with the idea of a rapture old-time jam, to be held on Saturday, May 21. That's the day of the scheduled Rapture. It will probably be in a park, so we can watch people float up to heaven while we play music accompanied by an earthquake. "If you're anywhere near Tucson, and would like to join in, let me know and I'll provide details. That means, you, 12-stringer. "Please dress appropriately, and wear hipster glasses if you have 'em." It would be spectacular if more of these Rapture Jams took place around the country. However, there's already an opportunity to hear and play some old-time in Northeast Ohio this weekend. Hessler Street Fair Saturday an...

Festival season is upon us, and Northeast Ohio hosts two events this weekend for fans of traditional music. The 13th annual  Oberlin Folk Festival kicks off tomorrow, May 6, at Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse on the campus of Oberlin College and Conservatory . A highlight of the Friday concert is a performance by the Dust Busters , an old-time string band based in Brooklyn, N.Y. Capping off the evening will be a contra dance sponsored by the Oberlin Contra Dance Club . The festival continues Saturday, May 7, with more performances by local and student acts. You can view the full schedule here . Admission is free. From the far, far west side of Cleveland, we go to the far, far east side for the inaugural  Blue Sky Folk Festival , at the East Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, in Kirtland, Ohio, on Saturday, May 7. Performers include Hal Walker, Hu$hmoney, Dale Rodgers, and the Workmen's Circle Klezmer Orchestra, with storytelling by Robin Echols Cooper and c...