Probably the best folk style banjo player I've ever heard is Peggy Seeger. She did things backing Ewan MacColl that were pure taste, inventive and complex, as well as being surprising and emotional and inspiringly lovely to listen to. When the two were working together, the result was almost always more than 100% I've always thought.

And banjo-backed vocals were always included on my albums---ranging from Bascom Lunsford's "Mr Garfield" and "Sundown" and Vernon Dalhart's "The Hanging Of Charlie Birger" to Uncle Dave's "In And Around Nashville" and the Pacific Northwest classic "Portland County Jail".

On a new CD I've been working on will be "The Scottish Soldier", Hoagy Carmichael's "Lazy Bones" and an instumental version of Bob Wills' "San Antonio Rose"----all on banjo--and all sung except the last song mentioned.

Right now, banjo is the only instrument I can mess around with and get results good enough that our 3 year old granddaughter wants to sing along or dance along to. The open-G tuning is very forgiving ! ;-)

But be sure to check out Art Rosenbaum's banjo-vocal rendition of "Texas Rangers". Hearing it will open new doors.

Art Thieme