Folklore of Banjos: As Told by Jake Blount and Bud Bennett

Creator: Vohden, Julia

: Bennett, Bud

: Blount, Jake

In this project Julia Vohden interviewed Bud Bennett in Radford Virginia, and Jake Blount in Ithaca New York. Both Bennett and Blount are banjo players and both discussed the stories behind their interest in banjos, their perception of the banjo’s history, Joel Walker Sweeney,
African influences on the design of the banjo, ragtime music, Scott Joplin, and major banjo influences. This interview is among projects created by students enrolled in English 446 (initially English 452), “Appalachian Folklore,” 1981-2019, and in graduate level counterparts English 548 and 648 “Appalachian Folk Culture(s)” offered 17 fall semesters between 1987 and 2009. Minimally contain collector’s introduction and analysis, transcribed informant interviews, and excerpted and labeled examples of oral, customary, and/or material folklore/folklife collected primarily within the Appalachian region. Most include also tables of contents, informant information, indexes (outlines) of interviews, photographs, miscellaneous paper items, and indexes of informants, genres, and geographic locations. Accompanying audio recordings (several minutes to 2+ hours). Transferred to McConnell Library Archives & Special Collections from Appalachian Regional and Rural Studies Center, Fall 2013.