14 October 2019

Jerry Garcia's banjo career in detail

For anyone interested in the part played by the 5-string banjo in the musical career of Jerry Garcia, a comprehensive account is given by Cory Arnold in his article 'Jerry Garcia and the banjo' on the Deering banjo company's blog, edited since its original appearance two years ago on the Hooterollin' around blog.

In its Deering form, the article features ten YouTube videos showing Garcia's banjo-playing at different stages of his career. Points of interest include the relation between Garcia's use of steel guitar and his return to banjo-playing, as well as his later clawhammer-style playing. Near the end of the article, Cory mentions an occasion about 1993 when Garcia played some songs on the banjo in a pub in Ireland. He writes:

Enjoyable as that must have been, that wasn't the former South Bay banjo gunslinger taking on all comers, just a middle-aged guy in a bar plunking out a few tunes to amuse his fellow patrons. The banjo had been an essential instrument in Garcia's musical arc, it resurfaced, had a renaissance, and then it had gone.

Does anyone remember this occasion in Ireland? And could there be any possible connection with the Ballydehob mural painting (see the BIB for 15 Feb. 2019)?

Update: See the comment by Tim Rogers concerning this episode, below.

Update 15 Oct.: Tim has since sent in a further comment, important enough to warrant appearing as a new post, here.

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1 Comments:

At 5:41 pm, Blogger Tim said...

I don't think that account is accurate... I've been researching this visit... The date is possibly wrong as well.-Tim Rogers

 

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