Banjo Hangout Logo
Banjo Hangout Logo

Premier Sponsors

  • The Murphy Method
  • Elderly Instruments - Since 1972
  • 25% Off at Mel Bay
  • Learn about Premier Sponsorship
  • Deering Banjos

456
Banjo Lovers Online



View budbennett's Homepage

budbennett

You must sign into your myHangout account in order to contact budbennett.

Click for Details

budbennett replied to topic 'Kruger Brothers Camp?' 1 day

Click for Details

budbennett replied to topic 'Kruger Brothers Camp?' 1 day

Click for Details

budbennett replied to topic 'Kruger Brothers Camp?' 2 days

Click for Details

budbennett replied to topic '"Banjothon" 2020' 11 days

Click for Details

budbennett replied to topic 'Hank Smith's take on Shuckin the Corn' 47 days

Click for Details

budbennett posted a forum topic 'Hank Smith's take on Shuckin the Corn' 48 days

Click for Details

budbennett replied to topic 'Why can't young people make change?' 51 days

Click for Details

budbennett replied to topic 'Banjo Masters Oral History Project- Hank Smith' 52 days

Click for Details

budbennett uploaded a photo '(untitled)' 52 days

Click for Details

budbennett replied to topic 'Banjo Masters Oral History Project- Hank Smith' 52 days

See all non-archived forum posts by budbennett

MyFeed

Banjo Masters Oral History Project- Hank Smith

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Way back in 2012 I had an idea that it would be fascinating and probably important to talk to my banjo heroes and try to record their thoughts and ideas about a bunch of stuff.  I thought I would start an oral history type project and film these folks talking about their lives, their musical journey, and technical things about their playing and instruments.  Since then, I have created video from Butch Robins, Jens Kruger, Sammy Shelor, Rex McGee, John Bullard, Gina Furtado, Geoff Stelling, and Tom Nechville.  It was important to me that these videos be publicly and freely available, so I convinced my workplace of their cultural importance and so got the thumbs up to do these as part of my work in archives and special collections at Radford University.  So with all that said, here's the important thing-

I posted a new oral history video of Hank Smith today.  Hank is a fascinating guy and is an amazing musician.  He is one of those hybrid type players who can somehow play it all- traditional bluegrass, jazz, rock, classical etc.  And he does it well.  He is as comfortable in a bluegrass band as he is with a chamber orchestra.  I had been attracted to his playing from the first time I had heard it, probably because he sometimes throws in classical sounding licks into songs, or maybe it was his chromatic runs that he frequently tosses in seemingly effortlessly.  Whatever it was, I started listening closely to him and have been amazed ever since.  I guess I was not surprised when I found out he and Jens Kruger are close friends, I can hear a lot of Jens' influence in there too.

Hank has played professionally all of his adult life.  Days after getting his masters degree in a NC school, he hit the road with the jam band Barefoot Manner and rode that out until the end.  Then he joined various bluegrass and americana bands through which he met Pattie Kinlaw.  He and Pattie formed a musical partnership that then created their current band- Hank, Pattie and the Current.  Hank has written a novel, is on the music faculty of UNC, teaches lessons privately and through various foundations (one of which he and Pattie formed to bring music education to Eastern NC), and he is an all around good guy.  And funny too.  Hank Smith...... an amazing musician.

Hank Smith Interview

Add Comment

Rex McGee- Banjo Playing Enigma

Thursday, December 1, 2016 Add Comment

John Bullard's new album- Classical Banjo: The Perfect Southern Art

Monday, October 3, 2016 Add Comment

Banjo Construction Photo Archive

Monday, August 8, 2016 Add Comment

Butch Robins, Jens Kruger, Sammy Shelor, John Bullard, Tom Nechville interviews

Thursday, July 21, 2016 Add Comment

John Bullard Interview is now LIVE!

Monday, July 18, 2016 Add Comment

Tom Nechville Interview is live!

Wednesday, July 6, 2016 5 comments

JENS KRUGER Interview!

Tuesday, May 26, 2015 3 comments

My Appalachian Music and Culture Blog

Friday, April 3, 2015 Add Comment

Sammy Shelor Video/Interview is Complete!

Thursday, March 12, 2015 2 comments

Butch Robins Video Series is Complete!

Thursday, January 22, 2015 9 comments

Videos

Monday, January 12, 2015 Add Comment

budbennett has 25 friends. View entire friends list.

mdhokie
mdhokie		 Banjophobic
Banjophobic		 Diego
Diego		 chip arnold
chip arnold
curtiseller
curtiseller		 jimh269b
jimh269b		 robbif
robbif		 Brooklynbanjoboy
Brooklynbanjoboy

FriendFeed

Click for Details

Ks_5-picker posted a classified ad 'Knee mute' 1 day

Click for Details

TOMCAT replied to topic 'Your first favourite Bridge' 3 days

Click for Details

Ks_5-picker replied to topic 'Convert this plectrum to a 5. ' 4 days

Click for Details

Ks_5-picker replied to topic 'Reno & Dailey & Vincent on RFD TV' 4 days

Click for Details

Randy Escobedo replied to topic 'Value of Original Ball Bearing Tone Ring and Neck for a 1925 Granada?' 4 days

Click for Details

Ks_5-picker replied to topic 'Should I band a PW -00 rim?' 5 days

Click for Details

Brooklynbanjoboy replied to topic 'On Switching to Fiddle - A Question for Banjo Players' 6 days

Click for Details

Brooklynbanjoboy posted a forum topic 'PBS Craft in America: The Music Episode - worth watching' 7 days

Click for Details

Ks_5-picker replied to topic 'Convert this plectrum to a 5. ' 7 days

Click for Details

TOMCAT replied to topic 'Things That Last Forever (Or Seem To)' 8 days

Click for Details

Ks_5-picker posted a forum topic 'Convert this plectrum to a 5. ' 9 days

Click for Details

Ks_5-picker replied to topic 'Do people use the chat room?' 9 days

Click for Details

Randy Escobedo replied to topic 'If you could read my mind by Gordon Lightfoot' 12 days

Click for Details

Ks_5-picker replied to topic 'should old but unused metal strings be used or tossed?' 13 days

Click for Details

Ks_5-picker replied to topic 'Most Unusual Gibson Tonering I Have Ever Seen' 14 days

Browse History >


Newest Videos


Elite Syncopations


Nola


Nuages (on a Nechville Banjo)


Music in Three Dimensions - Summertime


All of Me


Weeping Willow by Scott Joplin


O'Carolan's Concerto


Ain't Misbehaivin'

see all >

Newest Music

Little Rock Getaway

Genre: Unknown/None Chosen
Playing Style: Unknown/None Chosen

Bye Bye Blues

Genre: Jazz
Playing Style: 4-String (Tenor/Plectrum)

Pennies From Heaven (T36)

Genre: Jazz
Playing Style: 4-String (Tenor/Plectrum)

Dream

Genre: Jazz
Playing Style: 4-String (Tenor/Plectrum)

see all >

Newest Photos

see all >

mozart.radford.edu/amc
Playing Since: 1978
Experience Level: Purty Good

budbennett has made 17 recent additions to Banjo Hangout 

Interests:
[Socializing]

Occupation: library guy and stained glass artist

Gender: Male
Age: 56

My Instruments:
Stelling, Nechville, Bacon and Day, Stealth

Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Butch Robins, Alison Brown, Tony Trischka, Leon Hunt, Courtney Johnson, Eddy Davis, Don Vappie, David Grisman, Sam Bush,

Classified Rating: (+4)
Rate this Member

Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 8/10/2005
Last Visit 1/25/2020

I spend my days in library archives preserving our musical past. Interviews of banjo players, photographic catalogs of banjo parts, digitizing various cultural and geographic events in the Appalachian region and many other things fill my 8-5 day. I play tenor and 5 string banjo in three bands and prefer ragtime, old jazz and original music on banjo, but most anything will do. Played banjo and guitar in a regionally popular rock band for several years also.

Hangout Network Help

View All Topics  |  View Categories

0.640625