Banjo Roots and Branches
Added 2018-06-04 14:54:47 +0000 UTCBanjo Roots and Branches is now available for pre-order through University of Illinois Press and Amazon; it's scheduled to ship this August. I have already pre-ordered my copy and suggest that all who have an interest in banjo history do the same.
The title of Gibson's essay is "Black Banjo, Fiddle and Dance in Kentucky and the Amalgamation of African- and Anglo-American Folk Music." I had the privilege of reading a rough draft of it some months ago and found it very compelling, to say the least.
It's interesting that critics of Gibson's essays (always quick to throw stones) have themselves published no alternate version of folk banjo history.
Comments
I got out of the Army in December, 2005 and immediately went home and got right back into that odd hobby we call "reenacting." It was a difficult experience revisiting the historic battlefield parks of my youth having just been through Hell in Iraq. On more than one occasion I had to slip off into the woods at Stones River, Petersburg, Antietam or Gettysburg and sit alone, trembling, gasping for breath. Thankfully, I participated mostly with a group called the Liberty Rifles <a href="https://libertyrifles.org" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://libertyrifles.org</a> who are still, to my knowledge, the most apolitical and historically authentic group in the American Civil War reenacting community. Check out their website!
Clifton Hicks
2018-06-05 13:00:44 +0000 UTCFrom War in Iraq to a genuine blackface minstrel show, you've sure seen a lot! I don't think there's anything wrong with historically accurate performances that are essentially racist IF taken in a historical context... though I don't think many would agree with me. Keep these stories coming Clif, they're great!
Bobby Banks
2018-06-05 12:40:25 +0000 UTCI certainly agree that the minstrel theater had it's merits, even if they were few-and-far-between. For example, many of the performers were extremely talented. I actually witnessed an authentic black-face minstrel troupe c. 2006 near Perryville, Kentucky. The group had been performing at a Civil War reenactment all day with no makeup and employing watered down jokes and mostly playing Stephen Foster classics. Their final performance of the day began around 10 o'clock on Saturday, was "invitation only" and was billed as "authentic and R-rated!" It certainly was. The whole gang performed with blackened faces and there was plenty of cross-dressing, cuckold jokes and lewd acrobatics. Both audience and performers were drunk. While the performance was certainly disturbing, I could not deny the talent and attention-to-detail of these modern day minstrels who clearly loved the history and the music. Everyone in the candlelit tent that night was white, of course...
Clifton Hicks
2018-06-05 11:58:45 +0000 UTCGreat question, Mike. Look out for a video summarizing both sides of the debate soon.
Clifton Hicks
2018-06-05 11:50:44 +0000 UTCThanks for the recommendation, I would like to know more of the banjos shared origins of working class people regardless of race. Though the appeal of minstrel shows was due to racism, it also exposed black artists to a white audience. Childish Gambino references minstrel dancing in his recent music video 'This Is America'. The US sure has an interesting history!
Bobby Banks
2018-06-05 08:05:03 +0000 UTCHi Clifton, please ignore my ignorance if you have already explained it in past posts, but can you elaborate on what Gibson’s critics say? I might have an idea after reading “Banjo Echoes”, but I want to make sure I’m not missing anything else. Everything I’ve read of Gibson’s online makes sense to me. BTW- I have Sinful Tunes and Spirituals in my Amazon cart for a Father’s Day present and will be sure to get Banjo Roots and Branch’s. Looking forward to the read. Thanks!
Mike Rebitzke
2018-06-05 02:43:13 +0000 UTC
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