Deliverance - Dueling Banjos (HQ)

The classic banjo pickin' scene from the movie Deliverance.

Deliverance is a 1972 drama film produced and directed by John Boorman. Principal cast members include Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox, and Ned Beatty in his film debut. The film is based on a 1970 novel of the same name by American author James Dickey. The screenplay was written by Dickey and an uncredited Boorman.

In 2008, Deliverance was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Billy Redden plays "Dueling Banjos" opposite Ronny Cox, who joins him on guitar. Redden plays "Lonnie", a mentally retarded, inbred, but extremely gifted banjo player. The song went to #2 for four weeks on the U.S. pop chart in 1973 and topped the adult contemporary chart for two weeks the same year. It also led to a successful lawsuit by the song's composer, since it was used in the film without his permission.

"Duelling Banjos" was arranged and performed for the movie by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell and was included on the soundtrack album. The song had been composed in 1955 by Arthur Smith as a banjo instrumental he called "Feudin' Banjos". Smith recorded it, playing a four-string plectrum banjo and accompanied by five-string bluegrass banjo player Don Reno. When he was not acknowledged as the composer by the filmmakers, Smith sued. He eventually won, receiving songwriting credit as well as royalties. Two young musicians, Ron Brentano and Mike Russo, had originally been signed to play their adaptation for the movie, but instead it was performed by the others.

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[LochRaven62]

But the truth is, most banjo players have never raped anyone. Hell of a cool instrument, though.

[foilseal]

The kid is Billy Redden. Not retarded. Not a banjo player. Just a local kid from where I grew up who the casting director spotted and thought had the right look. Much of Billy's family had the squinty eyes, as moonshining often lead to fetal alcohol syndrome. Billy's always been a nice guy with close friends and jobs he's enjoyed. The internet has reached even the remotest outposts in Appalachia, so I'm sure Billy and/or his family come to see what the world says about Deliverance, today.

[the430movie .]

Banjo players never need to rape anyone,.... But if you see a group of Inbreed banjo players playin this tune, that means that the missing toothless inbreeds are not to far behind,... singing along 'You got an awful purdy mouth'...... If you should happen to experience this, and find your self on hands and knee's,..... Get to pray'n!!!... One last thing though... What ever you do,.... Don't gulp!...!!!....This will mean they got ya!... Before this happens though, you will hear a 'Pig Squealin''

[barrack obama]

Most.

[DougPatton1]

If that 5-string mean Kid ain't Jerry Lee afore he started in shreddin' painas n fuckin' cousins then ahm a Hillbilly hogtailed sumbitch.

[FaCeEatEer]

Genetic deficiancies suck or something like that. Banjo boy is supposed to be inbred and mentally handicap

[FaCeEatEer]

Banjo kid looks like he has no friends and his parents abuse him so one day he picked up a banjo and since he had nobody to play with ever, he practiced and practice only to end the night with his parents getting drunk and beating him. I bet that is why he is so happy in this-because he has someone to play with. At the end he turns his head when guitar guy holds out his hand because banjo boy knows he is leaving and doesn't want to get to attached.

[Lewis Mclellan]

yeah man cool story

[TheAannddy]

best duelling banjos ever

[jack fitzpatrick]

u sick bastard

[Trusten1984]

-I try to be positiv, talk nice to me !

[Gary Middleton]

i guess