Colored Aristocracy

Sankofa Strings perform Colored Aristocracy in Saxapahaw, North Carolina.

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[ERB4511]

Yes, Joel Sweeney died in 1860. And as you note, he either added or popularized (most likely the latter) the long bass string (what we now call the 4th string), not the short thumb string (our 5th string). Sweeney and other minstrel musicians did help establish the five-string banjo as the "standard" form of the instrument. As best we can tell before the 1840s its most common form had four strings - three long and one short.

[Sule Greg C. Wilson]

Sweeney's famous for adding the FOURTH, bass, string--not the high 5th. Whether he "invented" it is another question..but he's famous for it. I think he was dead by 1873 BTW... & ...what's Borack?

[PCPrabbit]

kill yourself!

[jedmarum]

I love it!

Great playin'! Great old song. Thanks for posting.

[dread66mon]

right, right, right, on!

[Handy Andy]

great fidde and band

[Avner Strauss]

wish someone would put some of the Ragtime Guitar Versions , Guy Van Duser's Grossman's or any , Any help would be great it is a great tune not that often heard !A. Strauss

[J Wilmore]

The tune is good.. Period

[sublimityeternal]

uhuh, wizzykins...why don't you get some knowledge about ethnomusicology and then see if you come up with the same conclusion.

loser.