Conversations with North American Banjo Builders, Vol. 1: Banjo Builders East of the Mississippi (DVD)

Craig Evans

Conversations with North American Banjo Builders, Volume 1

A gourd banjo head by Pete Ross of Jubilee Gourd Banjo. Baltimore, Maryland.

A banjo by Greg Galbreath of Buckeye Banjos. Eggleston, Virginia.

Four banjos by Bill Rickard Banjos. Aurora, Ontario.

Conversations with North American Banjo Builders, Volume 1

A gourd banjo head by Jeff Menzies.

A gourd banjo head by Pete Ross of Jubilee Gourd Banjo. Baltimore, Maryland.

Gourd banjo #196 by Jeff Menzies.

Gourd banjo #206 by Jeff Menzies.

A banjo by Greg Galbreath of Buckeye Banjos. Eggleston, Virginia.

Four banjos by Bill Rickard Banjos. Aurora, Ontario.

Conversations with North American Banjo Builders is a 4-volume, 12-DVD series that includes 38 interviews with open-back banjo builders, historians, and retailers. Each episode in the series devotes 20+ minutes to a single builder, and includes a personal statement, workshop tour, production information, and images of finished banjos. The series covers a wide range of building styles, including gourd, minstrels, traditional, and modern. Although construction techniques and philosophies may vary, the common thread uniting this series is the practice of banjo building as both art and craft.

Volume 1 features banjo builders east of the Mississippi. Interviewees include: Bill Rickard, Jason Burns, Jeff Menzies, Greg Galbreath, Pete Ross, Bart Reiter, Lo Gordon and Tim Gardner, George Wunderlich, Mike Ramsey, Will Fielding, Chuck Lee, Kevin Enoch, Doug Unger, and Jim Hartel.

EPISODE LIST:
Bill Rickard
Jason Burns
Jeff Menzies
Greg Galbreath
Pete Ross
Bart Reiter
Lo Gordon & Tim Gardner
George Wunderlich
Mike Ramsey
Will Fielding
Chuck Lee
Kevin Enoch
Doug Unger
Jim Hartel
Performer Interviews
Retailer Interviews
Ethnomusicologist Richard Jones-Bamman