KentuckyBoyBanjo - Posted - 04/17/2022:  10:15:45

I was reading an old post from back in 2000 about underrated and overlooked Banjo Players. But I didn’t see Greg Corbett mentioned anywhere. Sadly Greg passed away in August of 2014. But he has always been one of my biggest influences. His work with Charley Waller and the Country Gentleman was magnificent

Edited by - KentuckyBoyBanjo on 04/17/2022 11:19:43

Culloden - Posted - 04/17/2022:  12:26:14

William Holden played with the Country Gentlemen for a while and made some pretty impressive recordings with them. Then he just seems to have disappeared. I always wondered what has happened to him.
Dick Smith is another one I haven't heard of after his stint with the Country Gentlemen.

Bob Buckingham - Posted - 04/17/2022:  13:55:19

Lamar Grier, Joe Drumright, to name two.

stanleytone - Posted - 04/17/2022:  14:49:45

Barry Crabtree doesnt get nearly the praise he deserves

banjoman56 - Posted - 04/17/2022:  15:01:47

You're right Gary! Barry is a really good banjo player and one of the friendliest pro players that I have met.

banjoman56 - Posted - 04/17/2022:  15:06:55

Wynn Osborne is just an awesome banjo player and seems to be overlooked by most.

deestexas - Posted - 04/17/2022:  15:30:38

Eddie Shelton and Jake Jenkins

waystation - Posted - 04/17/2022:  15:31:58

quote:

---

Originally posted by Culloden

William Holden played with the Country Gentlemen for a while and made some pretty impressive recordings with them. Then he just seems to have disappeared. I always wondered what has happened to him.

Dick Smith is another one I haven't heard of after his stint with the Country Gentlemen.

---

Dick Smith spent a number of years post-Gentlemen playing with Canadian Mike O'Reilly. I shared a room with him at Banjo Camp North a few years ago. He was full of stories.

earlsgranada - Posted - 04/17/2022:  16:17:18

Haskel McCormick, Allen Shelton, Harley Bray, Troy Brammer, Wynn Osborne, Mike Lilly, Jimmy Arnold are one of many underrated banjo players that I've always looked up to for inspiration. Some great local banjo players that deserve more credit in my mind have to be Dana Cupp, Gene Elkins, Lloyd Douglas and Tim Ellis. Also, former DLQ alum Brad Campbell is a fantastic player who lives in the SE Michigan region. 

Edited by - earlsgranada on 04/17/2022 16:20:25

HuberTone - Posted - 04/18/2022:  04:14:52

*Bluegrass banjo only for this post* I like the term "overlooked" that the OP used. To me, the overlooked players fall into two categories:



1. Pickers that have had stints in well-established, highly visible bands that for some reason have never gotten the appropriate credit despite the band's successes. For me this includes players like:



Alan O'Bryant (Nashville Bluegrass Band)

Jason Burleson (Blue Highway)

Allen Shelton (Jim & Jesse)

Brad Campbell (Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver)

Craig Smith (a lot of major-label studio work in the 90s)

Wayne Fields (Southern Blend)

Gene Parker (Lost & Found)

Barry Crabtree (Larry Sparks)



2. The guys who can be well-known among the banjo community but not much elsewhere. Hidden gems, if you will. (This is the list that can get super long). Player like:



Eric Ellis

Robbie Boone

Jim Denman

David Carroll

Donnie Poindexter

Barry Collins

Kenny Cantrell

Jonathan Dillon

Tony Mabe

Lloyd Douglas

And I'm omitting a ton for the sake of space

Edited by - HuberTone on 04/18/2022 04:17:55

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 04/18/2022:  05:57:47

quote:

---

Originally posted by waystation

quote:

---

Originally posted by Culloden

William Holden played with the Country Gentlemen for a while and made some pretty impressive recordings with them. Then he just seems to have disappeared. I always wondered what has happened to him.

Dick Smith is another one I haven't heard of after his stint with the Country Gentlemen.

---

Dick Smith spent a number of years post-Gentlemen playing with Canadian Mike O'Reilly. I shared a room with him at Banjo Camp North a few years ago. He was full of stories.

---

And he played a lot locally in the DC area, too. He also played mandolin (he's excellent on that!) on one (or more?) of Lynn Morris' European tours.

pappy c - Posted - 04/18/2022:  06:06:05

One to add to the list - Larry Wallace - played with Jimmy Martin through the 90s.

Bart Veerman - Posted - 04/18/2022:  06:57:45

Raymond McLean, Rick Good.

KCJones - Posted - 04/18/2022:  07:17:20

Andy Thorn always comes to mind. Known mostly for his work with Leftover Salmon, he's also recorded a few solo albums and been a studio musician for several other bands. His work on "New Country Blues" with Emmit-Nershi Band is top notch. From funky jazz to hard driving bluegrass, Andy Thorn can do it all.

thor363 - Posted - 04/18/2022:  07:40:38

quote:

---

Originally posted by earlsgranada

Haskel McCormick, Allen Shelton, Harley Bray, Troy Brammer, Wynn Osborne, Mike Lilly, Jimmy Arnold are one of many underrated banjo players that I've always looked up to for inspiration. Some great local banjo players that deserve more credit in my mind have to be Dana Cupp, Gene Elkins, Lloyd Douglas and Tim Ellis. Also, former DLQ alum Brad Campbell is a fantastic player who lives in the SE Michigan region. 

---

Haskel is still doing well. What a great guy!

Richard Hauser - Posted - 04/18/2022:  08:36:28

Dennis Caplinger

There are a lot of banjo players who elect not be full time professional players.  I have heard great players who were recognized regionally, but not nationally.

Edited by - Richard Hauser on 04/18/2022 08:38:44

CW Spook - Posted - 04/18/2022:  09:55:54

I'd add Bob Black. Played with Bill Monroe years ago and still performing with his wife Kristi in the Midwest. Great melodic player.

bigbigmike - Posted - 04/18/2022:  10:02:32

big big mike and the small fryes they still arent bad

southerndrifter - Posted - 04/19/2022:  05:02:21

quote:

---

Originally posted by Culloden

William Holden played with the Country Gentlemen for a while and made some pretty impressive recordings with them. Then he just seems to have disappeared. I always wondered what has happened to him.

Dick Smith is another one I haven't heard of after his stint with the Country Gentlemen.

---

William "Bill" Holden had two musical goals.......to play and record with the Country Gentlemen and Bill Monroe. He accomplished both. He basically retired from playing and began driving a truck, which he did until he passed away late last year. 

Another great banjo picker who deserves to be remembered is James Bailey. He made some very significant contributions to the Country Gentlemen sound. I am proud to call him hero and friend!

gottasmilealot - Posted - 04/19/2022:  06:44:12

I think that Colton Powers is one of the best, yet has been overlooked in favor of some of the repeating favorites when it comes to awards.  He plays with Seth Mulder and Midnight Run.  A very good vocalist and entertainer as well.

youtu.be/M8Bta7cDPSE

Culloden - Posted - 04/19/2022:  06:57:26

quote:

---

Originally posted by southerndrifter

quote:

---

Originally posted by Culloden

William Holden played with the Country Gentlemen for a while and made some pretty impressive recordings with them. Then he just seems to have disappeared. I always wondered what has happened to him.

Dick Smith is another one I haven't heard of after his stint with the Country Gentlemen.

---

William "Bill" Holden had two musical goals.......to play and record with the Country Gentlemen and Bill Monroe. He accomplished both. He basically retired from playing and began driving a truck, which he did until he passed away late last year. 

Another great banjo picker who deserves to be remembered is James Bailey. He made some very significant contributions to the Country Gentlemen sound. I am proud to call him hero and friend!

---

Thanks for that info, Lynwood. I had always wondered why he disappeared from the music scene.

I'm glad you mentioned James Bailey. He spent some time playing for the CG then went on to form his own band called Autumn Harvest if I remember correctly. I've only heard him a few times.

The last time I saw the Country Gentlemen in person they had a banjo player named Keith Little who was a good, solid banjo player. I haven't heard of him since but I remember him being a really good picker.

arnie fleischer - Posted - 04/19/2022:  08:07:53

Keith Little later played banjo with Larry Cordle, Glen Duncan and Lonesome Standard Time, a great band that also included the late Butch Baldassari on mandolin. He has also been part of Peter Rowan's crew. About 20 years ago he released a terrific CD called Distant Land to Roam, on which he plays guitar and handles the lead vocals. It's one of my all-time favorite recordings.



A couple of other overlooked banjo players in my view are Mark Delaney (currently with Dan Paisley), Ben Greene (currently with Lorraine Jordan), and Greg Cahill (Special Consensus).



And how about Lynwood Lunsford himself??

Edited by - arnie fleischer on 04/19/2022 08:09:52

arnie fleischer - Posted - 04/19/2022:  09:04:44

I forgot Richard Underwood (The Johnson Mountain Boys, Bob and Dan Paisley)!

And Paul Silvius (Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys, Del McCoury just before Rob)!

1935tb-11 - Posted - 04/19/2022:  09:27:46

yeah let us not forget our own lynwood lunsford and andy lowe ,,both are superb banjo players.......

southerndrifter - Posted - 04/19/2022:  11:22:16

Thanks guys! But I'm just the opposite of the original post...........I'm "overrated" and "underlooked"! :)

HuberTone - Posted - 04/19/2022:  12:05:20

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1935tb-11

yeah let us not forget our own lynwood lunsford and andy lowe ,,both are superb banjo players.......

---

Thanks Terry, but you could have stopped at Lynwood, haha! Me, not so much. And Terry, just for the mind-blowing aspect of it all, you're severely overlooked! I've yet to meet a picker who can play the way you do.

Also, shoutout to the above poster who mentioned Mark Delaney. He's superb, and has his own unique, quirky style that is a blast to listen to!

Edited by - HuberTone on 04/19/2022 12:05:42

Bill Rogers - Posted - 04/19/2022:  12:41:39

How did we forget Pat Cloud. He just posted to Sound Off! Way beyond good.

Some major prizes (e.g.Steve Martin), but BB Bowness isn’t mentioned enough. She’s a tremendous player.

monstertone - Posted - 04/20/2022:  11:28:19

Not only was John Hickman one of the best bluegrass banjo players to be found, he was as approachable as the guy next door.

banjodave54 - Posted - 04/20/2022:  12:55:34

One of my favorite banjo players who is a phenomenal musician is Adam Poindexter who toured with James King . He's well known in his local , but doesn't come up in the top 10 discussions . Saw him live , great player and a heck of a nice guy to talk to . Keith Arneson
, formerly of the US Navy band is another monster player with jaw dropping skills who is refreshingly approachable and helpful in light of his considerable skills .

Turpen1 - Posted - 04/20/2022:  13:28:32

I would like to add Wayne Shrubsall of Albuquerque to this list. A true historian, scholar, writer, and master of all banjo styles. If anyone knows and remembers Wayne, I trust you will agree. There are several articles and videos to be found on his accomplishments and contributions, including many original Banjo Newsletters.

arnie fleischer - Posted - 04/20/2022:  19:39:02

I keep thinking of more names.

Bobby Lundy plays bass these days with Dan Paisley, but he is one of the hardest driving banjo players around (like his dad Ted Lundy before him). I learned how to back up slow vocals (my favorite thing to do as a banjo player) by listening to and watching Bobby when he was playing banjo in Dan's band. Like everyone else in that band, Bobby's playing demonstrated that even the slowest songs can have a driving, rhythmic pulse.

I've always thought that Steve Dilling epitomizes what it means to be a complementary, band-oriented banjo player, from his early days with the Bass Mountain Boys to his many years with IIIrd Tyme Out to his current band, Sideline. What he plays is never flashy but it's always perfect.

BanjoLink - Posted - 04/21/2022:  06:10:55

quote:

---

Originally posted by waystation

quote:

---

Originally posted by Culloden

William Holden played with the Country Gentlemen for a while and made some pretty impressive recordings with them. Then he just seems to have disappeared. I always wondered what has happened to him.

Dick Smith is another one I haven't heard of after his stint with the Country Gentlemen.

---

Dick Smith spent a number of years post-Gentlemen playing with Canadian Mike O'Reilly. I shared a room with him at Banjo Camp North a few years ago. He was full of stories.

---

Rich, I second Dick Smith ...... just understands everything about the banjo .

I would add Al Osteen who was a terrific picker from the time he was a very young man ...... mature as a banjo picker way beyond his years.   And of course, my friend Carroll Best, whom I credit as the father of the melodic style of picking ..... certainly his melodic style.

overhere - Posted - 04/21/2022:  07:56:23

quote:

---

Originally posted by southerndrifter

quote:

---

Originally posted by Culloden

William Holden played with the Country Gentlemen for a while and made some pretty impressive recordings with them. Then he just seems to have disappeared. I always wondered what has happened to him.

Dick Smith is another one I haven't heard of after his stint with the Country Gentlemen.

---

William "Bill" Holden had two musical goals.......to play and record with the Country Gentlemen and Bill Monroe. He accomplished both. He basically retired from playing and began driving a truck, which he did until he passed away late last year. 

Another great banjo picker who deserves to be remembered is James Bailey. He made some very significant contributions to the Country Gentlemen sound. I am proud to call him hero and friend!

---

you're right up there yourself Lynwood.

lazyarcher - Posted - 04/21/2022:  08:10:29

Dave Talbot..a fellow Canuk who did great things with Larry Cordle, the Grascals, Dolly Parton, and a bunch of others in the studio.

Robbie Boone..puts the hairs up on the back of my neck...

1935tb-11 - Posted - 04/21/2022:  08:45:25

quote:

---

Originally posted by HuberTone

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1935tb-11

yeah let us not forget our own lynwood lunsford and andy lowe ,,both are superb banjo players.......

---

Thanks Terry, but you could have stopped at Lynwood, haha! Me, not so much. And Terry, just for the mind-blowing aspect of it all, you're severely overlooked! I've yet to meet a picker who can play the way you do.

Also, shoutout to the above poster who mentioned Mark Delaney. He's superb, and has his own unique, quirky style that is a blast to listen to!

---

thanks buddy ,, i appreciate it,,its been a long while since i picked anything,, hands ae not what they once were.

steve davis - Posted - 04/21/2022:  16:00:30

My hero banjo player growing up was Mike Long.His folks were old friends of my Mom and Dad and Mike played in our living room in the 60s.
His name is found in that old Liberty Banjo catalog as the photolithographer in the back page credits.His pay for that job was a new carved Liberty "Big Eagle" banjo.
Mike could play Scruggs rolls on the piano.

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 04/21/2022:  17:50:26

quote:

---

Originally posted by steve davis

My hero banjo player growing up was Mike Long.His folks were old friends of my Mom and Dad and Mike played in our living room in the 60s.

His name is found in that old Liberty Banjo catalog as the photolithographer in the back page credits.His pay for that job was a new carved Liberty "Big Eagle" banjo.

Mike could play Scruggs rolls on the piano.

---

The same Mike Long who makes guitars and is married to Gloria Belle Flickinger?

chuckv97 - Posted - 04/21/2022:  17:59:33

Denis Lepage, David Jack, Vic Mullen are some great Canadian players I remember seeing years ago. Craig Korth and Chris Quinn also deserve honourable mention. 

Edited by - chuckv97 on 04/21/2022 18:03:01

steve davis - Posted - 04/21/2022:  20:45:05

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ira Gitlin

quote:

---

Originally posted by steve davis

My hero banjo player growing up was Mike Long.His folks were old friends of my Mom and Dad and Mike played in our living room in the 60s.

His name is found in that old Liberty Banjo catalog as the photolithographer in the back page credits.His pay for that job was a new carved Liberty "Big Eagle" banjo.

Mike could play Scruggs rolls on the piano.

---

The same Mike Long who makes guitars and is married to Gloria Belle Flickinger?

---

I'm a bit out of touch with Mike these days,but his cousin told me he married a Russian classical pianist a few years ago.

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 04/22/2022:  06:31:54

Sounds like a different Mike Long.

Ron Lacey - Posted - 04/22/2022:  07:17:05

Not sure if he qualifies as underrated, but the late Dennis Caplinger was an amazing picker. I’ve recently been listening to the Bluegrass Etc CDs and am picking up more on his talent. I originally got into them as a mandolin player and John Moore is maybe the fastest picker I’ve ever heard and a heck of a nice guy. But now that I’m evolving to a banjo player I’m hearing whole new levels of playing in these recordings.

monstertone - Posted - 04/23/2022:  14:53:36

Ben Eldridge is certainly not overlooked, nor is he underrated. However, despite his considerable talents & notoriety, he is still approachable.

Grass Valley, California, 1990s. After a long flight & a grueling drive from the airport, by the time the Scene had finished their first performance, they were completely exhausted! Nevertheless, after a little R&R, & getting settled in, Ben returned to the festival grounds, found our camp site, & picked with me for what seemed like hours.

Thanks, Ben, I owe you big time for that. If you're ever down my way, (Southern Oregon), the fishing is great & you're welcome in my boat, anytime.

Edited by - monstertone on 04/23/2022 15:04:12

Benjamin Pedigo - Posted - 04/24/2022:  07:06:30

Jack Hicks, Courtney Johnson, Ed Cullis, Victor Jordan, Roger Everett, Joel Aderhold, Don Norman, Ron Norman

steve davis - Posted - 04/24/2022:  07:15:06

Who does the rating of banjo players?

ceemonster - Posted - 04/25/2022:  06:13:31

Great name-checks here--Robbie Boone, Eric Ellis, Mr. Lunsford. Sim Daley also comes to mind.  And Chris Quinn--Toronto-based, I think.

Edited by - ceemonster on 04/25/2022 06:16:56

lazyarcher - Posted - 04/25/2022:  08:31:25

quote:

---

Originally posted by chuckv97

Denis Lepage, David Jack, Vic Mullen are some great Canadian players I remember seeing years ago. Craig Korth and Chris Quinn also deserve honourable mention. 

---

So many good Canadian banjo players...

John Saunders (amazing)

Buddy Weston

Charlie Street

Darc'y Campbell

Frank Evans

...and the list goes on and on....

southerndrifter - Posted - 04/25/2022:  08:52:46

A name that I don't think has been mentioned but certainly needs to be, is Allen Shelton. As unique as they come, he produced a remarkable body of work while playing for Jim Eanes and Jim & Jesse.

One of the "newer" guys out today who deserves mentioning is Jeremy Stephens. He knows more banjo than many who are twice his age!

1935tb-11 - Posted - 04/26/2022:  05:51:23

quote:

---

Originally posted by southerndrifter

A name that I don't think has been mentioned but certainly needs to be, is Allen Shelton. As unique as they come, he produced a remarkable body of work while playing for Jim Eanes and Jim & Jesse.



One of the "newer" guys out today who deserves mentioning is Jeremy Stephens. He knows more banjo than many who are twice his age!

---

you are right about allen shelton,,and jeremy is simply amazing ,,his understanding of the neck is second to none... but there has been one that has always had a special place in my heart and rarely mentioned and was a great banjo picker.. and that's don lineberger... a fellow lefty...

5 String - Posted - 04/26/2022:  08:03:59

Gene Parker of the original Lost & Found is definitely underrated and overlooked. Ajax couldn't take off what he played on the banjo.