Jim Yates - Posted - 02/07/2010:  10:49:19

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I found, and displayed on my blog, a couple of old autographed banjo heads. I've seen a few other autographs on people's banjo heads. I know Cathy Fink has Earl's on there (one I never got, along with Pete's) and David Holt used to get the back of his banjo head signed. Anyone else?
Here are some of my autographs: http://www.banjohangout.org/myhango...asp?id=17973 from my latest blog.

xplainer - Posted - 02/08/2010:  04:36:06

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Hey Jim,
Great autographs.
I have a head that has Earl and Jim Mills on it.
I'm trying to get to Doug Dillard for his signature.

I display it in a shadow box.

EggerRidgeBoy - Posted - 02/08/2010:  12:24:24

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Those are some neat signatures, Jim - thanks for sharing.

I've got a couple of signed banjo heads (in my case limited to banjo players). I'm about to retire the one shown below, since there is space for maybe one more signature on it, a space I am saving for Bill Keith.

Sonny Osborne is the most recent person to sign it, last month at the Dale Vanderpool/Gerald Evans benefit.



While looking at it before making this post, I realized that there is one signature I cannot read (at the upper left, above Pete Wernick and to the left of Jim Mills). I think it is one of the most recent signatures, so I have been racking my brain trying to remember who all signed it in the last year or so. The only person I can think of is Herb Pederson. I remember planning to ask him to sign it last year at Gettysburg, but can't remember if I did so or not, and it is hard to see how the signature in question could spell out his name. Hmm, maybe I'll just claim it is Don Reno.

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Edited by - EggerRidgeBoy on 02/09/2010 15:02:19

Jim Yates - Posted - 02/10/2010:  08:18:02

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Very cool banjo head EggerRidgeBoy, but that's not Don Reno. Don's autograph can be seen below and to the right of Buck White's on my page and his handwriting is very legible. Actually, you can only see Don Re... in this photo.

Since we lost Don in the mid 80s, I guess you're too late.

I recall when I got Don's autograph, he asked,"Where's Earl's? I want mine bigger than his." Unfortunately I never got Earl's nor Ralph's, but I'm not too late. My most recent banjo head autograph is over 25 years old.

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Edited by - Jim Yates on 02/10/2010 08:20:03

John Allison - Posted - 02/10/2010:  08:25:18

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I now have several signed heads (one of which is totally full), from banjo camps, festivals and shows. Makes a nice wall hanging in my den and triggers some good memories. Yours are ones to be proud of as is the head displayed by EggerRidgeBoy.

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Edited by - John Allison on 02/10/2010 09:48:38

xplainer - Posted - 02/10/2010:  09:36:55

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EggerRidgeBoy - that's a great head there!
Question - I note that Bill Emerson signed at the bottom.
Is that not a Bill doodle at the top too?
Just to the right of Jim Mills?
Or, who is that?
And who is that right above Rob McCoury?

WildJimbo - Posted - 02/10/2010:  10:01:09

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Here are mine. I started out with just banjo players, but I gave up on that pretty soon. I like 'em all.

EggerRidgeBoy - Posted - 02/10/2010:  12:34:03

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jim Yates

Very cool banjo head EggerRidgeBoy, but that's not Don Reno. Don's autograph can be seen below and to the right of Buck White's on my page and his handwriting is very legible. Actually, you can only see Don Re... in this photo.

Since we lost Don in the mid 80s, I guess you're too late.

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Yeah, I know it isn't Don's signature - I was just joking.

Don is at the top of my "wish I had his" list, but since as you mentioned he died almost 20 years before I started collecting signatures, that will never happen. Thus my comment. Of course, having his signature isn't too important - what I really wish is that I had seen and heard him play. Or better yet, that he, like Earl, was still with us.

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Edited by - EggerRidgeBoy on 02/10/2010 12:35:31

EggerRidgeBoy - Posted - 02/10/2010:  12:37:37

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quote:

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Originally posted by xplainer

EggerRidgeBoy - that's a great head there!
Question - I note that Bill Emerson signed at the bottom.
Is that not a Bill doodle at the top too?
Just to the right of Jim Mills?
Or, who is that?
And who is that right above Rob McCoury?

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Thanks! It's been fun collecting the signatures. I'm not all that great at small talk, so it gives me something to talk about when "shaking-and-howdying" with the performers after a show. Some of the musicians like to read all the other signatures, and occasionally have a comment or two about one of the names.

The one with the doodle to the right of Jim Mills is Bill Evans. The one right above Rob McCoury (the one with the heart) is Alison Brown.

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Edited by - EggerRidgeBoy on 02/10/2010 12:47:49

EggerRidgeBoy - Posted - 02/10/2010:  12:41:51

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quote:

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Originally posted by WildJimbo

Here are mine. I started out with just banjo players, but I gave up on that pretty soon. I like 'em all.

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That's a great collection, Jim.

With non-banjo players I try to dig out an old LP from my collection, and ask them to sign that. I don't listen to records much anymore, but I don't want to get rid of them, so I figure this way I can at least put them to good use by displaying the signed covers.

Marc Nerenberg - Posted - 02/10/2010:  12:55:47

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More years back than I care to admit, I went to see and participate in the open stage of the Hudson River Sloop, part of Pete Seeger's 'clean up the Hudson River' campaign. Pete was there, but was not planning on performing that day, and did not have his banjo with him. Nevertheless he was prevailed upon to do one song. Perhaps it's because he happened to be talking to me just at that moment, or perhaps it's because I have a Pete Seeger model banjo, but, in any event, he asked to borrow mine, and played This Land is Your Land on it. Afterwards, when I told my friends about it, they said, "Why didn't you get him to autograph your banjo head?" It never crossed my mind - dammit! I do have a couple of autographed original 10" 1950's folkways records of his, that were obtained during my childhood (and seeing him then, is, of course, the reason I play the banjo today)...I guess that'll have to do.

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Edited by - Marc Nerenberg on 02/10/2010 12:56:49

j2buttonsw - Posted - 02/10/2010:  15:34:55

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I remember Jim Pankey's banjo heads inspiring me to collect autographs. I even went as far as asking Pete Wernick to write "pick it solid"!

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Edited by - j2buttonsw on 02/12/2010 16:42:43

Banjo head 2

Banjo head 1

Jim Yates - Posted - 02/12/2010:  08:25:52

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I wonder how many of you took the strings off the banjo to have the head autographed. Mine have a space with no autographs where the strings and tailpiece were, but I notice that some of you have the complete head covered. There are some mighty impressive autographs there.

WildJimbo - Posted - 02/12/2010:  11:50:56

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jim Yates

I wonder how many of you took the strings off the banjo to have the head autographed. Mine have a space with no autographs where the strings and tailpiece were, but I notice that some of you have the complete head covered. There are some mighty impressive autographs there.

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Strings off? Heck, I carry just the banjo head.

EggerRidgeBoy - Posted - 02/12/2010:  14:06:50

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quote:

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Originally posted by WildJimbo

quote:

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Originally posted by Jim Yates

I wonder how many of you took the strings off the banjo to have the head autographed. Mine have a space with no autographs where the strings and tailpiece were, but I notice that some of you have the complete head covered. There are some mighty impressive autographs there.

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Strings off? Heck, I carry just the banjo head.

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Me too. My autographed heads have never been on a banjo - I bought them specifically to have them signed.