Appalachian Artists Oral History Project- Dr. Moon

Posted on April 16, 2026 by Bud Bennett

The newest addition to our Appalachian Artists Oral History Project is a very well known street musician in Virginia’s New River Valley. Many people know him from the colorful hat he wears, or the various outfits he wears in hopes that they will bring a smile to the faces of those passing by, or by the massive amount of songs he can play at any given time. I personally have known him as Chris for forty-some years, but to many, he is and always will be Dr. Moon.

I first met Chris sometime around 1983 or so when we were both working in Newman Library on the Virginia Tech campus. We quickly became friends and started playing music together. We spent many hours playing, hanging out, traveling to shows in his Volkswagon van, and playing music wherever and to whoever we were asked- it was a very good time! Over the years we have celebrated births, mourned deaths, lived through the good and the bad, and have remained…..well… friends. When I first thought of doing an Appalachian Artist project, Chris was the first one I thought of. To say he is an interesting person is a vast understatement, he is a first rate raconteur and this new oral history video clearly shows that!

In this oral history video, among other things, Chris talks about his family roots in Floyd County, Christiansburg, and Riner; his philosophy of busking and street performers; how he learned from tragedy and used that new knowledge as a springboard to a happier life; and of returning to the Radford University theatre’s stage. I will just briefly mention a few highlights here-

BUSKING– For some people, the idea of standing on a street corner playing music may seem a little odd, but for Chris, it was part of a long family tradition. One of his relatives was the famous fiddler Blind Alfred Reed, who among other things, was part of the original Bristol Sessions which started modern country music, and was also a well known busker. For those who may not be aware, busking is when a person stands somewhere in public and performs some sort of art to receive tips from passersby. This art can include most anything- sword swallowing, street magic, dancing, live painting, music etc.

I do know personally that Chris had been interested in busking for many years, but it was not until after he graduated from Radford University with a degree in Theatre that his current busking mindset really took hold. He actually performs, and can be seen in various outfits to draw your attention, and backs it up with charm and musical talent to hold it. One of his goals in doing this is not only to grab attention so people will listen to him play, but also to make them smile.

SMILE THERAPY– Smiling, and spreading positivity are both very important to him and he has done a very fine job in accomplishing those goals. His colorful hat, which has become a kind of calling card for him, makes people smile- as do the signs he has installed in his guitar case, his amusing outfits, and his whole street performer persona. He identifies so much with this that he started what he refers to as “Smile Therapy”, which in many ways is very simple, in other ways not so simple. He wants to make people smile and feel better than they might feel and to accomplish that, he uses his talent, sense of humor, and his humility to do just that. When people walk by and notice his hat, or his outfits….they smile! (There is even a youtube channel where you can get extra smiles! Dr. Moon’s Smile Therapy)

Smile Therapy!

SIDEWALK STAGE– Busking is great, but there is an important thing you need to busk…. a place to go. In the town of Blacksburg, where Chris lives, there was not really a place to busk. Speaking from the experience of having busked with him many years ago, buskers frequently get run off, have the police called on them, and frequently have a hard time of it. When he decided to devote more time to doing this, Chris approached the Town of Blacksburg, made proposals, made presentations to Town Council, and did what needed to be done to convince them to open the streets of Blacksburg to busking and street performance. At this time, thanks to his efforts, there exists the Sidewalk Stage now and anyone, at any time, can perform and share their art to passersby throughout the whole town. And folks are taking advantage of that sidewalk stage too! Tipping is not a requirement, you are welcome to just stand and listen, or walk by, stop and chat, or whatever you are feeling. The artist shares their art, and the listener responds as they feel appropriate.

Chris in the RU CITL lab being interviewed.

THE VIDEO! To see Chris in action telling stories, singing a few songs, and philosophizing about smiles and the power of music, have a look at this, our newest addition to the Appalachian Artist Oral History Project- Chris “Dr. Moon” Saunders- Artist, Entertainer, Raconteur.

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Collection Spotlight- Butch Robins Collection

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Bud Bennett

Butch Robins, raconteur, professional musician, philosopher, author, businessman, teacher, and friend. I have written about him in this blog several times, and am happy to say that we now have a new archival collection helping to preserve his legacy. The Butch Robins Collection, and the associated Butch Robins Digital Collection.

This new physical collection is generally made up of three different categories which represent different parts of his career: The World International Blue Grass Band, the Robins-Hay music project in which Butch conceived of, produced, played on, marketed etc four CD/cassette collections of bluegrass and gospel favorites (including mixing and arranging notes from this and other of his recording projects), and video/audio recordings of live shows and interviews throughout his career. The collection contains other things as well, including recording logs and notes, some photographs and correspondence, vintage Blue Grass posters, etc. The digital collection contains photographs ranging from his years with Bill Monroe to his World International Blue Grass Band project, and audio/video recordings spanning many years of his career etc.

President Jimmy Carter, Rosalyn Carter, Butch Robins taken when Butch played the White House as part of the Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys band.

Joseph Calvin “Butch” Robins was born May 12, 1949 in Lebanon, VA.  Due to his father, Calvin Robins’ work, the family moved around a bit for the next 14 years before resettling in Virginia in 1963.  They lived in North Carolina from 1958-1963 and it was during that time that Butch became interested in the banjo. In the latter part of 1962, Calvin found a banjo for sale in a local barber shop and bought it for Butch.  The banjo was not in good shape and Calvin had to sew the head together with fishing line and did some other repairs to it, but his $2.00 investment in that banjo served Butch well as it was the start of his lifelong relationship with the banjo.  He still has that banjo, and the head is still sewn together by the way!

After taking an interest in the banjo as a teenager, his father Calvin Robins began taking him to meet and play with anyone he could find that knew how to play the instrument, and that included  many of the professional touring bands that would come through the area so that Butch could play with and learn from them.  One of the first of these players was Homer Israel, who played in a style much like Snuffy Jenkins, who would later become one of Butch’s close friends and inspirations.  Another early influence and teacher of sorts was Don Reno, who took Butch under his wing and made him think about what he needed to do to be a professional banjo player.  Butch even played in the morning radio show   

After graduating from high school in 1967, Butch joined Bill Monroe’s band, for a short time and played in the first Bean Blossom festival before leaving the band.   He rejoined the band once again in 1977 and stayed until 1981.

Butch was drafted into the military in 1969 (1969-1971) and was sent to Columbia SC, and it was there that he met and was befriended by Snuffy Jenkins.   While in South Carolina, Butch also met and joined the band of Charlie Moore (1971).  He later went to Tennessee and was associated with the Picking Parlor through which he was hired to work with such acts as the jazz player Harry James, toured with rock star Leon Russell (1972), joined the New Grass Revival as a bass player(1973-74),  joined Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper’s band (1975-77), worked with Jim and Jesse (1977), released the album “40 Years Late (1977), re-joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys (1977-1981), released “Fragments of My Imagnicnation” (1978), released “The Fifth Child” (1980).    Also in 1969, Butch entered and won first place in the  1969 Newport Folk Festival, and in Carlton Haney’s 1969 Camp Springs Bluegrass Festival. 

In the years since he left the Blue Grass Boys in 1981, Butch has been in several bands, including a band he started- The Bluegrass Band (with Eddie Dye, Alan O’Bryant, Blaine Sprouse, and David  Sebring), Model Prisoners, and others.  He toured USA, Australia, Japan, and Europe, and from that experience he had the idea of forming a band with members from around the world- the World International Blue Grass Band and included Butch Robins (USA), Kazuhiro Inaba (Japan), Sean McKerr (Ireland), Arnold Lasseur (Holland), Hamish Davidson (Australia), Jan Johansson (Sweden).  Also, he released the albums: The Bluegrass Band-Once Again From the Top (1990), The Bluegrass Band- Shine Hallelujah Shine (1991), The Bluegrass Band- 2nd Cut (1991),  Grounded, Centered, Focused (1995).

Poster for The World International Blue Grass Band

In  2003 Butch wrote and published an autobiography- What I know About What I Know.  In 2013 he recorded a 5 part video series at Radford University called Butch Robins Presents: Blue Grass Music, its Origin and Development as a Unique and Creative Art Form, which is available on the university library website.  Also notable, in 2016 Butch was inducted into the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame in Bean Blossom, Indiana.

Butch Robins has been a regular performer in the New River Valley area of Virginia both as a solo artist, and an ensemble player (many examples of this are part of this collection as DVD or Audio CD) and is a sought after session musician and has many producer credits (a complete discography listing performer and producer credits is in box 1 of this collection).    

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The Purple Pitcher Plant- Appalachian Resident

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Bud Bennett

One of the fascinating things about travelling is when you stumble upon something unexpected. One such thing for me was a few years ago when I was hiking in Newfoundland and discovered pitcher plants all over the place- it turns out the pitcher plant is the official flower of Newfoundland and Labrador, a fact I was totally unaware of. Seeing the pitcher plant thriving in the snowy mountains of the Gros Morne National Park actually confused me because the only other place I had ever seen wild pitcher plants growing was in the hot and steamy marshes of South Carolina. Granted, the Newfoundland one was a slightly different species of purple pitcher plant, but it was still a purple pitcher plant and it was growing in the snowy mountains of Newfoundland!

As a kid, I was always fascinated by the carnivorous plants, mostly the Venus Flytraps, but the several varieties of pitcher plants were a close second for me. Back in the 1970s, one could frequently find ads in the back of magazines advertising Venus Flytraps (I did buy one at one point but it didn’t live very long. Not a surprise…) I don’t remember ever seeing ads for pitcher plants, I guess they were not overly intriguing to the comic book reading kids of the 70’s. A quick Google search just showed me that apparently today you can buy them in Lowes, Walmart, and other such places.

An ad from the back of a magazine in the 70s.

It wasn’t until maybe ten years or so ago that I actually saw any carnivorous plants living in the wild. I have spent a great deal of time hanging around in the marshes of southern SC birdwatching, so I guess it was inevitable I would come across them, and when I did, I was delighted and surprised to look down and realize I was standing in front of a patch of the purple pitcher plant! Somehow I had not realized how common they were and became even more fascinated with them. Since that day, the venus fly trap moved to second on my list of favorite carnivorous plants. I was delighted… but not as delighted and surprised as when I saw them in Newfoundland.

First of all, where we saw them in Newfoundland, the Tablelands section of Gros Morne National Park, there was very little in the way of plant life. Also, there was a lot of snow still around at the time. The mountains there are actually mantle rock from the earth’s crust, and are slowly expanding and “falling apart”. These mantle rocks are to the very acidic and almost poisonous and whatever small amounts of soil around them is not winning any awards as far as supporting plant life. There are huge fields of periodotite and serpentinite (there were informational signs there explaining all of this!) and have a high iron content which sort of rusts as it sits out in the open, and it is apparently hard for plans to survive in this environment. Something that a lot of people might not realize, is that these mountains are actually a part of the Appalachian Mountain chain, but they are vey young and very different from the Appalachian Mountains in the United States in almost every way. Most of Newfoundland does not look like the Tablelands, by the way….. it is a place of stunning beauty and wonderful, friendly people.

Above are photos of the very places we first saw the Purple Pitcher Plants. Below are the actual pitcher’s we saw that day.

When we returned from that far north vacation, my wife bought me (from a reputable grower) two small purple pitcher plants and every year more and more of them spring up from their bed of sphagnum moss. Being rhizomes, they can “reproduce” quickly- and they have! I guess I am thinking about all of this today because my plants are coming out of their winter slumber about now and they are flowering. Pitcher Plant flowers are something you don’t see every day (unless I guess you live in the marshes of SC or in Newfoundland!)

For those not familiar with this fascinating plant, here are some bits of information about the Purple Pitcher Plant for you:

  • Pitcher Plants do not need soil to grow (which explains why we saw them in the Tablelands where there is basically no soil), they generally are found in places with very poor acidic soil, such as in bogs and marshes.
  • There are several varities spread out among four families (families: Nepenthaceae, Sarraceniaceae, Cephalotaceae, and Bromeliaceae), the ones mentioned in this post are from the family Sarraceniaceae and include the Purple Pitcher Plants which are much more common in the US than the other families.
  • Though they may not be common (and in fact are kind of rare), there are three members of the Sarraceniaceae family that live in the Appalachian Mountains – the Mountain Sweet Pitcher (North and South Carolina), the Southern Appalachian Purple Pitcher (North and South Carolina, Georgia), the Green Pitcher ( Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina) and the Purple Pitcher (which is much more common in the southern Appalachian mountain bogs and swamps).
  • Pitcher Plants get their nutrients from digesting insects. Their method of “hunting” is passive and consists of having a deep cavity that collects rainwater, and contains digestive juices. When insects fall or crawl into the cavity, they drown and are digested. The plant also has small hair-like growths that make crawling out of the cavity very difficult.
  • Several of the Pitcher Plant varieties are protected and endangered, so don’t just randomly take them when you come across them. There are reputable nurseries that are easily found.
  • The Purple Pitcher Plant is the provincial flower of Newfoundland and Labrador.
  • Learn more about this cool plant: US Forest Service, Wikipedia, Newfoundland’s Memorial University, Encyclopedia Britannica, and many more!

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Blind Alfred Reed

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Bud Bennett

There was once a time when everything was cheap.

But now prices almost puts a man to sleep.

When we pay our grocery bill,

We just feel like making our will.

Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?

It seems as if most everyone can identify with lyrics like this one these days. It is strange to think that it was written and recorded nearly 100 years ago- recorded on Dec 4, 1929 in fact!  The song is called “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live” and was by Floyd County’s own, Blind Alfred Reed.  

Records are a bit sketchy but Alfred was born to Riley and Charlotte Akers Reed in the Alum Ridge/Indian Valley area of Floyd County, Virginia in 1879 or 80. I have land at the foot of Reed Hill, where some references say he born and raised, and so I admit to having a real interest in Alfred. Today I did some digging to find out more about him.

Neither Riley nor Charlotte were musically inclined, but Alfred clearly was, and over time he became quite proficient in the fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, and organ.  The fiddle though, was his real love and talent and he became very well known for his fiddling and singing.  He also became known as somewhat of a protest singer based on the lyrics of his songs (as in the one mentioned above).

Sometime in 1903 Alfred married Nettie Sheard and moved to West Virginia where they lived and raised 6 children.  To make money Alfred turned to music and taught music lessons, performed at dances, wrote songs, and busked the streets where he would also  sell printed copies of his songs.  It was during one of these musical activities, that Alfred caught the ear and attention of Ernest Stoneman with his song “The Wreck of the Virginian”, which told the story of the collision of a freight train and a passenger train in 1927.  Stoneman, who was already involved in the “Bristol Sessions”- a recording project that basically started the country music craze, contacted Ralph Peer to recommend Alfred for the project. 

The Bristol Sessions are well known from the participation of such acts as Ernest Stoneman,  Jimmie Rogers, The Carter Family, the Shelor Family (of whom Sammy Shelor is descended ), Blind Alfred Reed, and others.  The impact of this project was such that Bristol Tennessee is now known as The Birthplace of Country Music.   Alfred Reed recorded, on Dec 16, 1927 four titles- The Wreck of the Virginian, I Mean to Live for Jesus, You Must Unload, and Walking in the Way with Jesus.

Ralph Peer ended up keeping Blind Alfred Reed under contract and recorded numerous songs by him over the next few years, including the one that began this post- “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live”. This was one of several of his works responding to or possibly protesting the depression and the economic disparities so many people were experiencing in the country. 

In addition to any monies he made through his recordings, Alfred continued his street busking to help make ends meet.  By 1937, his music was pretty well known. The protest-like nature of his subject matter caught the attention of local politicians and the town he most frequently busked in, Hinton West Virginia suddenly passed a local ordinance banning busking by blind musicians.  Which seems a very specific ordinance and in effect ended his career as a street musician!  Despite this, much later, on March 9, 2015 the West Virginia Legislature introduced HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 51 which proclaimed and made the fiddle the official musical instrument of West Virginia and acknowledged the historical impact of the 1937 statute on Blind Alfred Reed’s life and livelihood.

To learn more, you can check out Blind Alfred Reed: An Appalachian Visionary, by Ted Olson. You can check it out from McConnell Library and hear his music too-

Blind Alfred Reed : Appalachian visionary.

AuthorsBlind Alfred Reed(Composer)(Instrumentalist)(Singer)Arthur Wyrick(Instrumentalist)Orville Reed(Instrumentalist)(Singer)Fred Pendleton(Instrumentalist)(Singer)Music CD2015Atlanta, GA : Dust to Digital, [2015]

4th Floor – Sound Recordings – CDsM1627 .R33 2015Available
4th Floor – Sound Recordings – CDsM1627 .R33 2015
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Appalachian Artists Oral History Project- Marshall Page

Posted on November 12, 2025 by Bud Bennett

The newest addition to our Appalachian Artists Oral History Project is Marshall Page. Marshall is a quiet and unassuming man who works here at Radford University, and I always enjoy talking to him- and I am always surprised at the new things I learn about him when I do. He is a kind and humble person who has had a very interesting and often enviable musical life. Marshall sat with us here in the library on October 22, 2025 and told us many interesting stories about his life, his music, and his inspirations. Two of the most fascinating parts of his story were about him playing the Grand Ole Opry, and playing the Bluegrass Hall of Fame (numerous times!).

Marshall Page at the Bluegrass Hall of Fame

Growing up in the small town of Parrott, Virginia proved beneficial to Marshall because in high school, he was approached by a teacher, Becky Hancock, who was forming a club she called The Appalkids. This club was one in which the students ended up touring schools and other venues to share a program that included singing, dancing, telling stories, and generally sharing and celebrating aspects of the Appalachian culture that they all grew up immersed in. (Applekids and Apple Pickers)

From the Appalkids, Marshall and a few of the others formed a band they called The Apple Pickers, and in many ways this band is still together some 40 years later. (Sam Leary, Keith Webb, Marshall Page)

Being a part of the Applekids and Apple Pickers provided much in the way of experience and education and truly paved the way for a lifetime of musical adventures. At around the same time that he was a part of the Applekids, Marshall met and got to know two very particular musicians who saw something special in Marshall. The two, John Viers and Butch Robins (both very well known and established musicians), taught him much about music and life, included him in bands they were in, and also introduced him to many influential people. One of the people he was introduced to was the man responsible for booking acts on The Grand Ole Opry- an introduction that led to him playing on the stage of the original Ryman Theatre.

John Viers on the left. Marshall Page on dobro on the right.

During the past five years or so, Marshall has played many venues and festivals, recorded several albums, made countless friends in the music business, won awards, and had his music on the radio. He is a fascinating person and we captured some of his stories in our oral history interview. Have a look!

Marshall Page- Living the Dream

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Banjo Masters Oral History Project: Hank Smith

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Bud Bennett

A few years ago just before the Carolina in the Fall festival (the third week in September), I stumbled upon some recordings by Hank Smith. I don’t remember how I found them, but I do remember sitting here listening to his tune Django’s Dream (
https://youtu.be/QNDg6tkTV8k ) and thinking that this player was something special. I looked him up and saw that he was currently playing with a different band and I made a mental note to check them out. I was pretty happy when I saw that they would be at Carolina in the Fall that year.

At the festival I watched two sets of Hank, Pattie, & The Current and was definitely intrigued by Hank and his playing. One song in particular struck my fancy, it was very classically inspired and very lengthy, two things I enjoy in a banjo song. After that set I went over and spoke briefly to Hank and walked away feeling even more interested in him and his playing. The band was very interesting to me because it seemed an odd mix of people and musical influences, and I always like that too.

After the festival I started buying albums that Hank was involved in and each one delighted me. He has a real sense of melody and tosses in chromatic runs and classical-like lines in a really smooth and unassuming way. All of us banjo players have our set of chops we go to and Hank’s seemed to be in a totally different space than mine, or those I was used to. I was even more intrigued and so started researching him.

The more I learned about Hank Smith, the more I wanted to really talk to him, so one day I contacted him and set it up. I studied up and on the appointed day my associates Aaron Spelbring and Tom Snediker and I loaded up the van and headed to Raleigh, NC to talk to Hank.

Since he may not be a household name yet, here is a very quick snapshot- After getting his masters degree in (I think) Religious Studies, Hank hit the road with the acoustic based jam band Barefoot Manner. They toured the country repeatedly for several years playing the jam band circuit and had the pleasure of actually opening for the Grateful Dead one time! After Barefoot Manner, Hank joined a few bluegrass and Americana bands, frequently with his friend Pattie Kinlaw. The two of them later formed their current band, Hank, Pattie, & The Current. Hank is currently also a part of the UNC music faculty and teaches banjo. In addition to those mentioned bands, he also formed the first (and only?) Bela Fleck and the Flecktones tribute band- Blu Bop. AND, he has written a novel. I mean to tell you, this is one interesting guy!

So now that you are intrigued, watch this video and meet the amazing Hank Smith!

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Highlights of the McConnell Library Appalachian Music Collection- Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Bud Bennett

 

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A few years ago, I was listening to an album I randomly picked out to play by a band called The Sparrow Quartet.  I knew it was a project that old-time banjoist, Abigail Washburn had put together, but I didn’t know anything else about it at all.  It didn’t take long for me to focus right in on the other banjo though.  I was really fascinated by the way the Scruggs-style player was interacting with the other musicians and really supporting the vocal and old-time banjo.  It was fascinating and as I wondered who the other banjoist was, I decided it had to be Bela Fleck because of some of his musical phrases.  I looked and…. yes indeed, it was, along with Casey Driesen, and Ben Sollee.  It is a fascinating album.

Bela Fleck is undeniably one of the world’s top Scruggs-style players (for lack of a better way of saying it, I mean Bela plays single string and melodic and Celtic and classical and whatever other style he feels like!).  Abigail Washburn is, in my opinion, one old time music’s big name success stories and she is definitely one of my favorite old-time banjo players.  These two have an undeniable riches in musical talent.  They also are amazingly diverse and creative people too- between their respective forays into jazz, classical, old time, bluegrass, electronica (Abigail recorded an electronica project to help raise money for relief from the Sichuan Earthquake in 2008) and a blend of Chinese and old time music that is hard to classify, there is much musical foundation to build upon.   As I mentioned above, I find that the sound of Bela and Abigail playing though is so much more than just the sum of its parts, I can’t help but think all of their many musical projects make this so.  I hear a certain element of “more” when I listen to them together and I attribute that to the fact that it sounds like they are playing “together”- in contrast to playing at the same time.

In 2014 Fleck and Washburn released the first of their albums together, an eponymously  named album I immediately bought for the library’s collection.  Give it a listen or two…

 

Call Number Status
M1630.18.F54 B45 2014
Available
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Geoff Stelling- Master Banjo Luthier

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Bud Bennett

More and more, the word “luthier” seems to be one that people don’t know the meaning of.  Basically, a luthier is a person who makes musical instruments (and these days one might be hard pressed to name more than a few people who actually still do this).  I find it still a little bit hard to believe that musical instruments can be mass produced, even though I know that they are.  At the same time, I also find it hard to believe these days that there are individuals who own their own shops and can compete with the mass produced places.   That there are a few such individually owned banjo shops here in the state of Virginia speaks a lot about how important that instrument is to this area.

One of these shops is Stelling Banjo Works Ltd and coincidentally- produces Stelling banjos.  These instruments are considered among the best banjos in the world and every one of those banjos has come from the small but efficient shops of Geoff Stelling.  There have been two Stelling shops, the original shop in Spring Valley, California and the current shop in the tiny town of Heards, Virginia and all 7,000some Stelling banjos, mandolins and guitars in the world have been made in one of those two locations and have passed through Geoff’s hands.

In full disclosure, I have been a fan of and owner of Stelling banjos for a long time, so I may be a bit overly interested, but Geoff Stelling is one of the very first people I thought of talking to when I started the banjo masters interview series.  His success in the banjo building world, the uniqueness of his instruments, and the list of well-known luthiers that have worked in his shops over the years is so very impressive, not to mention the sheer beauty of his instruments that interviewing him seemed almost a given.

Part 1 of our Geoff Stelling interview.

Part 2 of our Geoff Stelling interview.

On April 4, 2017 John Hildreth, Aaron Spelbring and I loaded our camera and light gear and drove over the mountains and through the woods- we literally did that –  we drove over the mountains and through the woods, only we were not going to grandmother’s house, we were going to Heards, Virginia to visit the Stelling Banjo Works shop to talk to Geoff Stelling.  Anyone who has not visited the shop might be surprised to see it.  From the outside, it is a modest building that once upon a time was a one room schoolhouse serving the needs of several of the communities surrounding it.  On the inside though, is a highly efficient workshop that produces banjos as well as mandolins and guitars to a lesser extent.  We had a tour of the shop and included audio from that as well as some photographs in our interview video linked above.  But just in case you are curious, this is the outside view of the workshop- it really is small!

As far as my recollection goes, Stelling banjos were really the first banjos to depart from the Gibson style banjo pot (for non-banjo players, the pot is the round part of the banjo).  I have always been curious about how he came up with the idea for the Stelling wedge-fit tone ring/rim/flange and Geoff gave us a very interesting explanation of that in and compared it to aircraft he worked with during his time in the Navy.  For those who might not be that familiar with banjo design, for various reasons centered around certain banjo players in the 1940s (namely Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, Snuffy Jenkins and others)  for many years the Gibson musical instrument company was THE place to get a banjo for bluegrass music.  Many considered Gibson banjos to be the only banjo that would do.  Other people wanted to make banjos too and so various other banjo making business’ sprang up and they generally all followed the Gibson style of building banjos in terms of how the parts looked and how they fit together.  We I say this, I am mainly talking about the banjo tone ring, rim, and flange, which together make up the banjo pot. Geoff Stelling however came up with a different idea about banjos and banjo parts and so came up with a different way for the tone ring, rim, and flange to work together in a design we call the wedge-fit design.  This different design makes Stelling banjos sound very different from Gibson banjos in most cases and as I mentioned, the first to depart from the Gibson design.

In our interview, Geoff also talked about several of the people who have worked with him in the past- well known luthiers like Greg and Janet Deering (Deering Banjo Company), Kim Breedlove (Breedlove Guitars), Jeff Huss and Mark Dalton (Huss and Dalton Guitar Company) to name a few. He also talked about various people who play or have played Stelling banjos- Alan Munde, Tony Trischka, Marteka Lake, and many more.

Our interview is roughly two hours and contains many photographs and probably about everything a person might want to know about the Stelling Banjo Works Ltd company.  This interview is posted on the same page as our other Banjo Master interviews and is free for all to view!  Please enjoy the learning process.

www.banjomasters.com

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Rex McGee- Banjo Playing Enigma

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Bud Bennett

I first became aware of Rex McGee somewhere in the early 1990s at the first Merlefest that I ever attended.  At the time the festival was pretty small but it was packed to the gills with music and workshops.  These things are commonplace now but at the time they it was still kind of unusual to be able to go to a workshop and see top level musicians give demonstrations, answer questions, and generally just be available to anyone who wanted to come rub elbows with them.  One of these workshops I remember distinctly was one in which Bela Fleck and a few others were talking about banjos.  Bela was talking about playing Celtic music on the 5 string and gave a little musical demonstration- I loved it.  But then he started talking about how the best person to demonstrate celtic banjo was actually sitting in the audience.  He called on a young player- Rex McGee- to come up and show us a bit about phrasing and technique.  I was very intrigued by that and impressed that Bela Fleck was deferring to a much younger player.  I never forgot that.

In later years, I would occasionally comb Youtube for videos of banjo players or certain songs.  Being a fan of Celtic music, I would often seek out 5 string players playing Celtic tunes and often saw Rex McGee as the player.  I am also a fan of more avant garde music and again, Rex McGee would pop up in my searches.  The guy intrigued me even more.

Like most banjo players, I have subscribed to Banjo Newsletter for many years and always love the main interviews in that magazine.  Two times over the years Rex has been the main interview.  Both are fascinating and memorable.  In the latest interview, Ryan Cavanaugh called him an enigma.  I somehow felt that appropriate form the little bit that I knew about him.  Mysterious and puzzling…. yes, that seemed accurate and Rex seemed almost an underground musical legend in my mind.  I really wanted to include him in my Banjo Masters interview series.  On a whim, I looked him up and set it up and folks, here it is-  Rex McGee- Banjo Playing Enigma.

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Part 1- Rex McGee- Banjo Playing Enigma

In part 1, Rex talks about his musical family, the Pilot Pick-N-Parlor, various music festivals including the one he hosts at his home, and much more.  Rex provides many musical examples and demonstrations while he talks.

 

Part 2- Rex McGee- Banjo Playing Enigma

In part 2, Rex talks about his various musician friends, why he tunes his banjo in 4ths, his band Kripplekrunk, his 24 Creations for Solo Banjo recordings, and more.  There are many musical examples and demonstrations in this as well.

 

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Banjo Masters Interview Series- Previews

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Bud Bennett

There are a lot of things I like about our Banjo Masters interview series. One of the first things that come to mind about that is how I really enjoy picking who to interview.  My thought on that subject has always been that the banjo is a very versatile instrument and there are masterful players doing radically different things from each other out there.  My idea with this series is to pick players who represent different genres of banjo playing and who I consider master players who are both carrying on traditional banjo styles, but also expanding on what may be considered non-standard banjo styles. I also think it is really important to include players who may not be in the most popular or widely known categories.  There are a lot of masterful players out there doing some exciting things with and for the banjo and I like talking to them and helping them to share their stories.  Judging from the success of this series, I think people enjoy that too!

I am currently preparing a video preview for the newest interview in the series, Rex McGee, and I had the sudden urge to watch the previews we made of some of our other interviews.  Here they are, in case you want to watch them again too!  (And in case that inspires you to check out the actual interviews, here they are- https://vimeo.com/channels/1078567 )

THE PREVIEWS-

The Butch Robins preview was a lot of fun to make.  John Hildreth and I put it together to highlight the various aspects of Butch’s talk.  Personal stories, live music demonstrations, heartfelt memories of life with Bill Monroe and a lot of history.

 

Sammy Shelor is a quiet, soft-spoken man who has a lot of fascinating stories to share once you get him started.  He is a local legend around here and spoke a lot about family and tradition and music.

 

Ever since I first heard John Bullard play Bach on the banjo I was fascinated and kind of obsessed.  John was one of the names I immediately came up with when I thought up this interview series because he is not only a masterful player, but he is doing something totally different from most players.  He is a very nice guy and what he is doing is fascinating!

 

More to come soon folks!  There are a lot more banjo players out there on my list!

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