Scott didlake and the origin of the banjo TBI 1992

This is a very rare video of the late Scott Didlake, 1948-1994, pioneer gourd banjo builder and the lost origin of the banjo researcher. He his talking at a Gourd banjo workshop during the Tennessee Banjo Institute event 1992 together with Mike Seeger and Clark Buehling..

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Banjo
• History

[UlfJagfors]

There are many sources for gourds in USA.I think there is also a gourd society. Google on key word Gourd

Ulf

[DRUMDRUE]

Nkoni from Mali and other regions of West Africa is a stringed instrument you should check out !!!

Bassekou Kouyate are a really good new group touring who have 4 Nkoni players.

They are hot

[UlfJagfors]

In my colletion of African string instruments I have both samples of Ngoni, Huddo, Molo and Xhalam lutes. They are in principle (number of strings can differ)the same instruments and also have to a certain degree the same repertoire. Xhalam playing can be seen in one of my youtube clips. I have also meet many times, last time one month ago, in US Cheik Hamal Diabate, a very skilled Malien Ngoni and gourd banjo lute player. I bought my Ngoni from Mali by him.

Ulf

[PeluMaad]

@metallicafan52893 ....I thought the banjo was brought to Ireland by American minstrels around the mid 19th century and around the same time the mandolin came to America in a big way through Italian immigration? The banjo and fiddle were the basis of American dance music since the early 18th century...moving from the Chesapeake and Sea Island coastal areas to the Appalachians where the Celtic aspects were emphasized and the African aspects de-emphasized somewhat. Mandolin and guitar were added.

[SuleDrum]

I was in the car on the way to MS to visit Scott on the day he died....

[writerrad]

Ulf is one of the world's experts not just on banjos but on the whole lineage of lutes and spike lutes as they ended up in the New World banjo. When Earl Scruggs wanted instruments to illustrate the ancestry of the banjo, he contacted Ulf, as did the banjo museum in Tulsa, as did the new museum of musical instruments in Phoenix.

[CrysallisJones]

I'm impressed with this man's knowledge of African history and American musical history. This is a MUST SEE video for anyone who loves music! And of course it is posted by someone who lives outside of the U.S. Thanks UlfJagfors! Sad that more Americans aren't into their own history. . .

[robfergusonjr]

God, I miss you Scott.

[Steadno]

peace and respect

[katrinaburgoyne]

Awesome work Ulfjagfors

Great video. :)

Much love Kat

[zerohero35]

Blacks were considered not worth more than a dog. So I'd ahve to disagree with them being treated as bad on the same level. Its not even close.

[10INTM]

This video is great! I found out not too long ago about the origin of the banjo. I knew it was, for the most part, built by African slaves in America that were basically recreating the African gourd instruments with which they were familiar. But this video really gives you the fascinating details to the backstory.

[UlfJagfors]

The New World banjo with African influenced music was spread to eastern USA during the first decades of the 18th century. The first written acount in US is from 1732 if I do not remember the exact year wrong.

Mandolins came into the Amrican music life at the end of the 1900 century by the large influx of italian immigrants. Already in the beginning of the 1890´s the banjo makers offered banjo mandolins in contrast to the original Italian egg shaped all wooden mandolins. Ulf Jagfors