The banjo is an American creation from the late 19th and 20th century and closely linked to the development of bluegrass and country music. But, the story of the evolution of the modern banjo illustrates how that instrument has been dismantled from its historical origins. The original banjo dates back centuries to West Africa, where instruments similar to the Senegambian akoynting, a folk lute, have been used for a long time.
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African instruments like the akonting did not accompany the enslaved Africans on their journey to the Americas, yet the knowledge and craftsmanship required to build them were retained within the minds of the passengers, along with their musical memories. Over the years, dedicated scholars and skilled musicians have diligently preserved the traditions of these African instruments. Now, they are acknowledged as the living precursors to the banjo.
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Enslaved Africans adapted the African akonting and created variations in the fields of the Mississippi Delta, as well as in other parts of North and South America, including the Caribbean. This marked the initiation of the banjo's evolutionary journey in the Americas.
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During the mid-1800s, minstrel shows became immensely popular. These shows featured White performers in blackface, playing banjos, and imitating Black music and culture through exaggerated caricatures. Consequently, owning a banjo (or fiddle) became a trend nationwide. To this end, mechanized production caused the banjo to lose its original historical grounding.
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Mechanization and cultural appropriation effectively erased the banjo's ties to Black heritage. In the early 20th century, the mass-produced banjo became associated with White supremacist culture. This association was so strong that in later years, some people struggled to acknowledge its African origins.
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Originally crafted by two highly skilled studio musicians, “Dueling Banjos” showcased their expertise in performing intricate and refined folk arrangements. However, a decade later, their music underwent an abrupt transformation when it was repurposed as the soundtrack for the film "Deliverance." This recontextualization associated the music with dysfunction and backwardness.
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@Deglassco Interesting side fact about that scene: at least one of those hands does not belong to the actor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dueling_Banjos#Use_in_Deliverance
The same trick was used for the contact juggling in Labyrinth.
@peterdrake Wow! I didn’t know that.,