The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #15385   Message #138150
Posted By: Micca
18-Nov-99 - 08:33 PM
Thread Name: BS: Hero Worship
Subject: RE: BS: Hero Worship
In the 60's I used to go to a lot of the folk clubs in London and frequent performers at one of these was a banjo player called Pete Stanley he played with a guitarist called Wizz Jones and He was dynamite and a nice guy too.Well In the Early 90s I was responsible for the music Technology dept. of acollege here in London That did Musical instrument making courses, Guitar wood wind bagpipes Harpsichords and Pianos. On the Guitar making course I found Pete Stanley who had come to make banjos. one Friday, after I had told him about seeing him play many times all those years ago. He had just strung the first banjo he had made on the course( a beautiful solid maple backed instrument) and was tuning it when I passed through the workshop. I stopped to admire his work and casuallly said "Do you remember that medley of flatt and Scruggs tunes you used to play at the end of a set to sign off" and he said " You mean this" and launched into the most spectacular exhibition of virtuoso banjo picking you've ever heard.Everyone came out of the adjoining workshops to see this exhibition of technique. and he was genuinely taken aback when they applauded.Modest, kind, and a gentleman