• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
North Carolina Folklife Institute
  • About
    • Mission & Values
    • People
    • History
    • Funders
    • Contact
    • NCFI in the News
  • Our Work
    • NC Folklife Apprenticeships
    • Legends & Lore Marker Program
    • Fiscal Sponsorship
    • Partners
    • Archives
    • Reports & Publications
  • Events
  • Carolina Life & Lore
  • Support
Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina and Virginia

Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina and Virginia

April 4, 2013

banjosongsters[wpshopcart_add_to_cart id=”12″]

“The sounds and social history of African American banjo playing – 32 superb instrumentals and vocals, recorded between 1974 and 1997. Extensively annotated with performers’ life histries, tunings, lyrics, bibliography, and discography. The banjo’s gourd ancestors came to the Americas with enslaved Africans, forging the link between West African griots and performers of 20th-century blues and string-band music.” (album note)

Details: Smithsonian Folkways 40097

Listen:

  1. [sc_embed_player fileurl=”http://ncfolk.org/Images/mp3/dinkrobertsroustabout.mp3″] Dink Roberts: Roustabout
  2. [sc_embed_player fileurl=”http://ncfolk.org/Images/mp3/ettabakerandcoraphillipsjaybirdmarch.mp3″] Etta Baker and Cora Phillips: Jaybird March

[wpshopcart_add_to_cart id=”12″]

Related

  • Graphic reading “2025 Year in Review” with “North Carolina Folklife Institute” below on a simple, neutral background.

    2025 at the North Carolina Folklife Institute: Stories, Partnerships, and the Work Ahead

    As 2025 comes to a close, the North Carolina Folklife Institute reflects on a year shaped by collaboration,…

  • Collage of headshots showing three North Carolina Folklife Apprenticeship pairs—six artists and tradition bearers participating in the statewide apprenticeship program.

    NC Folklife Institute Announces 2025 In These Mountains NC Folklife Apprenticeship Awardees

    $10,000 Awards Support Apprenticeship Pairs in NC’s Mountain Communities to Preserve Traditional Arts DURHAM, N.C. (November 19, 2025)…

  • Members of Kingdom Voices United community gospel choir pose together inside a church sanctuary in Dunn, North Carolina.

    Kingdom Voices United: Building Community and Healing Through Gospel Song

    The story of Kingdom Voices United starts with a vision from God. “I was on my way to…

Filed Under: Music, Uncategorized

Contact

North Carolina Folklife Institute
P.O. Box 61222
Durham, NC 27715
(336) 223-5956
staff@ncfolk.org

Connect

© 2026 North Carolina Folklife Institute · All rights reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design
Search North Carolina Folklife Institute