Banjo History – Some important dates

SOME IMPORTANT DATES 1620- Explorer Richard Jobson mentions “gourd with neck and strings”in Africa1678- “Banza” noted in Martinique as played by blacks1769- white banjo players performed in blackface1813-1860 Joel Walker Sweeney1843-first documented minstrel show by Dan Emmett & Virginia Minstrels1840s-1850s Minstrel Craze; Banjo becomes urban instrument1830s to 1850s Boucher of Baltimore first “shop-made” banjos1850’s- metal … Read more