Banjo

A banjo is a stringed musical instrument. It possesses anywhere from four to six strings stretched over a round, thin piece of plastic or animal skin known as the head of the instrument. The head is pulled over a similarly shaped hollow frame. A piece known as the bridge is placed in the center of the head to hold up the strings. The strings can then resonate sound from within the frame when pulled and released or plucked. Originating in Africa, the banjo eventually migrated to the Americas with enslaved Africans. The instrument underwent several innovations over the following centuries and would eventually play an important role in a number of musical genres, including jazz, bluegrass, country, and folk.

Overview

Early versions of the banjo can be traced back to thirteenth-century sub-Saharan Africa. Some musicologists speculate that the banjo may have been inspired by a pair of early West African instruments known as the ngoni and the xalam, both of which resemble the banjo. More than sixty other similarly structured instruments were recorded in regions of West Africa, however. Around the eighteenth century, the banjo made its way overseas with the ships of enslaved peoples bound for the New World. Many Americans who owned enslaved peoples, including founding father Thomas Jefferson, wrote of the banjo's presence among enslaved peoples on plantations. These instruments were commonly fashioned out of spare wood and hollowed gourds. Historians believe these early banjos had a much deeper sound than modern banjos.

By the mid-nineteenth century, the banjo had become a core part of Southern musical attractions. Accounts from 1847 describe a band of banjo and fiddle players, an early image of the modern bluegrass band. Although the instrument was a primarily Black American tradition in the United States, the banjo eventually made its way into the hands of White Americans. The instrument grew popular in the Appalachians, where players often fashioned the heads of their banjos from animal hides. Performances known as minstrel shows became a popular form of entertainment. Performers would sing and dance to the tune of identifiably Southern banjo music as they parodied Black culture on stage.

The banjo was primarily composed of four strings until the minstrel show era, when an actor named Joel Sweeney created a five-string banjo and developed a different way to pick its strings. Sweeney was a renowned banjo player of his time, earning the title "The Banjo King." Sweeney's five-string banjo remained the most popular style of banjo for years after its introduction. Its more complex structure gave its players a broader range of sounds with which to work. The banjo remained an instrument of comedy well into the Jazz Age (1920–1929) and was often employed in the days of vaudeville and early radio for comic songs and jokes.

By the 1940s, the banjo had undergone further modernization with the help of bluegrass musician Earl Scruggs. Scruggs invented a number of handy devices that improved the sound and design of the banjo. The instrument could often be heard on the popular Grand Ole Opry radio program. Over the next few decades, the banjo became a staple sound among multiple musical genres, with folk and bluegrass highly favoring the instrument. A six-string model also became popular as the banjo found its way into modern music.

In the twenty-first century, the banjo could be found in bluegrass, folk, and traditional country music. However, it has also made its way into indie rock and alternative music styles, showcasing its continued versatility as an instrument and sound. Several contemporary musicians have used the banjo in their work, including Beyoncé, who featured it on her 2024 country album. Further, there has been a renewed interest in the banjo's African roots and its role in Black culture. 

Bibliography

Allen, Greg. "The Banjo's Roots, Reconsidered." NPR, 23 Aug. 2011, www.npr.org/2011/08/23/139880625/the-banjos-roots-reconsidered. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

“Banjos.” Smithsonian Music, music.si.edu/spotlight/banjos-smithsonian. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

"The Banjo’s African, and African American Heritage, a Story." African American Registry, aaregistry.org/story/the-banjos-african-american-heritage/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Cohen, Aaron. “The Banjo is a Star of Beyoncé's New Album. Turns Out it Has African Roots.” NPR, 5 Apr. 2024, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/04/05/1242304226/beyonce-texas-hold-em-banjo-carter-country. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Dubois, Laurent. The Banjo: America's African Instrument. Belknap Press, 2016.

Gura, Philip F., and James F. Bollman. America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century. The University of North Carolina Press, 1999.

“The Influence of Bluegrass Music on Contemporary Banjo Styles.” Woodtone Strings, 29 Oct. 2023, woodtonestrings.com/blogs/articles/the-influence-of-bluegrass-music-on-contemporary-banjo-styles. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Rahman, Sarah. "10 Fun Facts about the Banjo." Oxford University Press, 3 July 2014, blog.oup.com/2014/07/10-fun-facts-about-the-banjo. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Stimeling, Travis D. “Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo’s Hidden History.” Notes, vol. 80, no. 2, Dec. 2023, pp. 346–48. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=173467050&site=ehost-live. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.