Top Banjo Players Show Their Amazing Skills
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2019
- 9 top banjo players show off their amazing skills. No need to say more, just watch and listen
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Not showing Bela Fleck is a glaring omission.
Seems to be mostly the van halens of bluegrass and melodic bluegrass. No Stringbean, no Grandpa Jones and no Pete Seeger. No celtic Irish tenor banjo players. But these folks are to Country and Americana as what speed metal is to metal.
Truth.
barf
Bela doesn’t have the body Mean Marry does , that’s why
@@damirzanne I don't know Bela,but Mary has AMAZING body.😉💕💕
God bless Earl. He clearly has the best tone and feel for the music and the instrument.
He really created the music
He popularized the three finger bluegrass style
Good to see mean Mary in there, vastly underrated player! ✌️
She did an amateur job in this clip, nevertheless.
They cut the clip before she sped up!
They didn't want to show her true talent 😔
She also has the voice of an angel and body of a Goddess!!
@@jamesglenn520 yes, the shape of the body is very important when it comes to a banjo playing
@@damirzanne Absolutely 😆 🤣
@@damirzanne it is absolutely very enjoyable to watch when the banjo player is playing! She is much more enjoyable to watch then say a Roy Clark!
Lots of comments about who is missing here. This isn't a video of the "best 9 players of all time," it is merely a montage of 9 good players.
Honestly had absolutely no idea Steve Martin could play a banjo like that.
Holy shit me neither! He can rock it too
I was fortunate enough to see Jens Kruger last year in the north of England, he mesmerised the audience with several hours of the best quality playing imaginable, covering several genres. His playing is outof this world!
Was this at the the Eagle Music store? Jens is a very remarkable musician and a very decent man.
@@MarkMcCluney Yes, the Eagle Music Store last year, we chatted with me for a while, and told me he'd played at the Grand Ole Opry with Earl Scruggs, aged 19!
He is pretty awesome to watch...
Funny I’d never put England and bluegrass together. May sound ignorant of me so I apologize. Of course I know we wouldn’t have it if it wasn’t for the British chasing the Scot’s and Irish out of their countries and over here and I personally can’t thank them enough and in a weird way Britain too. just didn’t know our USA bluegrass got love from across the pond ❤
@@scray00 It all started for me with the 'Beverly Hillbillies', had some banjo lessons and never looked back; we have some great bands here. Visiting Nashville very soon.
Roy Clark could play the strings off of damn near anything. Hot, hot picker.
That guy could play a set of tooth picks, damn
I heard he once played a kite.
I have yet to see any instrument that ole Roy can’t play!
I would put him up against ANY of the greatest guitarist. He has to be in the top 5 of all time in any genre.
Roy Clark, amazing guitarist
Don Reno, JD Crowe, Terry Baucom, Jim Mills, "The Chief" Osborne, Jesse Baker, Kenny Ingram, Kristin Scott, Alan Munde, Bill Keith . . . Yeah, these names could replace alot on the list given . . .
Bela Fleck......(not because of the jazz) he plays that nutty thumb pick tripplet!
Also the late great String Bean the best claw hammer picked that ever played
Doug Dillard
Amen Brother.
Raymond Fairchild
No Bela Fleck?? He is to the Banjo, what Pavarotti is to opera!
My Bluegrass Heart is phenomenal. Beautifully showcases his spread of talent.
so glad you included Roy Clark
Mean Mary lit it on fire and smoked it!!!!! They were all great!!!!
Yep, and she was cut off before she REALLY got going!!
Jim Mills, JD Crowe, Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck, Sonny Osborn, Ron Stewart...These guys pick pretty good too!
They do but they trigger all kinds of copyright notices and the videos get blocked.
@@WorldBluegrassDay there should be no list at all without these people mentioned. No Baucom, vestal.... C'mon man!
Personally I don't think there can ever be a best banjo player. There are certainly some outstanding players which many have mentioned but all have different styles of playing. Depends on your personal taste as almost all are technically expert players. It shouldn't be a competition. Just enjoy everyone's playing! :-)
If no one was competitive people would have hit the peak of what was possible a long time ago .......but because were competitive we keep pushing ourselves to the next level to find out what is possible on these instruments
The title doesn’t say best it says top
Very well said
@@botkill3635 Top of what?
I see that sometimes describing guitar players. It is nonsense.
Its a shame you missed Dave Hum from the UK he passed away but one of the best banjo players out there RIP Dave.
I was so pleased to see Mean Mary in the lineup!
You had maybe three of the best banjo players on your list, like Scruggs, Roy Clark, and Ralph Stanley, but you were missing a few that belongs on that list, and that would be JD Crowe for one
JD & Bela, but I have always been impressed with Dennis Caplinger as well. How Dennis played so fast with his chubby fingers is beyond me.
Mean Mary definitely deserves to be top 10... she is amazing and clean
I love bluegrass! Whoever comprised this list was smokin’ some other grass!
I agree completely! No Grandpa Jones or Stringbean.
I want to fart on someone’s face while playing a banjo
@@Grimeyhoob very cool
@@Grimeyhoob i already did that too you at auntie Baker's house.. You said it smelled like a onion orsomething i forget
Amen! The first 2 on the video are the only ones here that I could understand. And I might throw Dr. Ralph in too just for being one of the pioneers lol
Outstanding, extremely enjoyable. Certainly takes your mind off the everyday political chaos. Real breath of fresh air
My man 💪
C'est toi le chaos politique
True bro! How to play this thing? I'm mean with my Les Paul but never even seen a banjo in real life but it sound fucking awsome.
Thanks for reminding us while saying it takes us away. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
My wife sure doesn’t think so. But I do!
So glad that you included Mean Mary
I don't know if it was intentional but it is interesting this video is bracketed at each end, with two styles at the opposite ends of the spectrum; beginning with the most traditional style player, Earl Scruggs, the inventor of traditional three-finger bluegrass style banjo picking, and ending with the most "progressive" and technically challenging style player, Noam Pikelny.
I would add people like Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick, Rhiannon Giddens, John McEuen from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Chris Coole, and Mike Munford. Jens Kruger has an engineering mind and his technique is incredible. Bela is a fabulous technician and great composer. Alison Brown is brilliant and a Harvard graduate. She owns one of John Hartford’s banjo and designed the Julia Belle for a Greg Deering. Oh, Ashley Campbell is a pretty good picker, too.
And let’s us not forget Steve Martin!
And Ricky Skaggs too 🫡
There's something flawless about Earl's timing that the others don't quite match. Steve Martin comes closest.
Steve Martin is incredible. But he’s a comedian, was that Elton John on fiddle?
Doug Dillard should've been among these....one of the best pure pickers ever.
Damm it, to hear Roy Clark play any stringed instrument is a treat, that man and his talent is missed so sorley even though i am a 70's to 80's rocker by me never will i forget the music this man pioneered, what a legend.
Yes. Fun. I am so glad you included Willow Osborne. She is that good.
Earl Scruggs, JD Crowe
,Bill Emerson, Bill Knopf, Alan Munde, Sonny Osbourne, Ben Eldridge,Bill Keith, Carl Jackson, Peter Wernick, Tony Triscka, Bela Fleck, Scott Vestal, Jim Mills, Sean Moyses, Tom Adams, Gina Britt, Ned Lubereki, Don Reno,Barry Crab tree, John Mceuen, Ralph Stanley, Janet Davis, Casey Henry, Jason Skinner, Kristin Scott, Steve Dilling,Ron Block, Dave Evans, to name a few.
John Hartford was always my favourite player.
Obviously not a definitive list but all are brilliant and my selection for top of the pile would be Roy Clark.
Earl Scruggs should be number 1. Man can play anything with strings on it
the same can be said about Roy Clark as well
Earl Scruggs is the best. Most of these folks are talented, but along with Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley and Roy Clark are my favorites.
sonny osbourn was in a class by himself. played with bill monroe as a kid !
Jimmy Henley. Won the World Bluegrass Banjo Championships in Hugo Oklahoma at age 10. Started performing with Roy Clark shortly after. Sadly, passed away last year at age 56.
Glad to see Roy Clark on this list. Can you think of any other instrument musician that openly enjoyed performing the way he did? Steve Martin was a surprise choice, but not necessarily a bad one.
Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, Jim Mills, JD Crowe, Ralph Stanley, Russ Carson, Bela Fleck ,Raymond Fairchild, Don Stover, Little Roy Lewis, Norm Pickney, Allison Brown ,Sammy Shelor, Tom Adams, Richard Underwood,Max Allison, Tommy Neal, Chris Warner, and last but not least Billy Lee Cox Just to name a few.These gentlemen were all great banjo players.
You left out Ben Eldridge, Tommy Thompson and Tony Triska
and Ron Block. Great list Denny and Mike!
Denny. Sir. You named quite a few that deserve to be on the greatest list. Eric Ellis is one of the 5 best today.
...and don’t forget Alan Munde! Great list
The video could definitely have been far longer.
banjo music warms my heart
I think you should have called this "banjo players on CZcams "
So awesome. Thanks for posting. Right now I am going straight to Craig’s List to look for a banjo. This video makes me want to play.
He may only be 14, but you can't have a list like this without Johnny Mizone.
Amen to that!
Without Earl Scruggs and his licks there may not have been anyone else. Earl was very clean in his playing like Doug Dillard. I liked Don Reno as a composer, but not as a player. Bela Fleck is very versatile. There are too many great players to say who was or is the best player though. I think Earl deserves the most credit.
It was nice of you to include that kid from Deliverance.
Roy Clark is amazing
Nice list. There are so many talented banjo players and if this video captures a person's curiosity to go down the "banjo rabbit hole", well done. Earl Scruggs started the three finger picking sound and without him, the others might not have picked up a banjo. Another picker that has contributed huge to bluegrass and inspired countless banjo players was JD Crowe. What a great instrument! Well done!
Well I enjoyed it. Wanted to hear more of some of them!
When my family and I were exiled from Communist Cuba in ‘65, one of our favorite shows was “Hee Haw”. I grew up watching Roy Clark and the bunch. ✝️🙏🏻♥️🤣😂
Bishop's Choice: Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, JD Crowe, Bela Fleck, Steve Dillon, Terry Baucom, Jimmy Mills, Noah Pikney, Kristin Scott Benson, Sonny Osborne, Bill Emerson and John Bullard
You forgot Don reno! 🤠
Doug Dillard
only Bobby Thompson is missing
If I ever rob a bank, I'm going to bring a banjo player along to sit in the getaway car strumming fast while the cops are chasing us.
Ventsolo's 10: Earl Scruggs, Tony Trischka, Noam Pikelny, Bill Keith, JD Crowe, Don Reno, Béla Fleck, Ryan Cavanaugh, and Al Munde.
Super Creative Banjo Musicians and their performances.....!
Thanks for having Steve in this mix!
Só fera!!! Muito bom!!obrigado desde Brasil!!
Ain't all in speed...soul counts too...I'll go for Mean Mary...cause depth just flows out...
Whoever made this list left out some better well known banjo
Pickers
It's not a real Top Banjo players without Bela Fleck
Alot of greats left out, but that could be Another video. But Roy Clark has always been my fav. From back in the Hee Haw days in the 70s !
Bela Fleck is the best virtuoso of them all. He can play anything; from bluegrass to Bach.
To me, he and Jens Kruger are the closest to virtuoso...
So humble as well. Great show to see
bro he sounds likes hes tuning when he plays.
Love me some Mean Mary.
WHY AIN'T WENDY HOLCOMBE ON THIS LIST , SHE WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE BEST BANJO PLAYERS OF ALL TIME GOD REST HER SOUL
I came here to hear Steve Martin. I figured he had to be here. After his performance I watched the rest. Willow Osborne was awesome too!
You forgot Greg Allen, the only remaining son of bluegrass legend Red Allen. One of the best I've ever had the pleasure of hearing live.
Always enjoyed String Bean and watching him play the banjo. Willow is an outstanding banjo player as is Steve Martin! Earl Scruggs is the best here because they are all playing his style, 5 string 3 finger pickin! They all can pick a banjo tho that is pretty plain!
And Grandpa Jones.
No Hartford, but someone playing a Hartford tune interesting.
Glad to see Mary James but forgot Stringbean
I❤️ bluegrass. Watching from London UK 🇬🇧
There is something about this music that I just love, my Family calls me weirdo ( in a funny not mean) for liking this type of music, as you can read my last name I am Latino and it's kind of rare to find one that likes The Banjo and Bluegrass.
Beautiful
You're in good company Daniel. I'm a Mexican woman who loves Bluegrass . There's something about the music that just gets deep into my soul. I've loved it since I was a little girl. I'm 64 now. Thank goodness for CZcams that we're able to enjoy the music. 🎵🎶
1:23 they cut her off but she goes even faster in the last part. Goes by "Mean Mary."
They didn't want everyone else to look bad!! 😆
She also has the voice of an Angel 😇 💗
Jens Kruger? He turns a banjo into a classical instrument.
people with awesome skills like this bring a tear to my eye, how wonderful to be able to entertain others.
Barney mc Kenna check him out
The music is so good it feels like I'm playing Hay Day 😂
Amazing talent love this music 🎶
Dr Ralph is my personal favorite. Just love his sound.
Earl is # 2. Other than them , the list is up for debate.
I think they need to be ranked in the time frame they picked, and by style. Bela Fleck is extremely talented in the progressive style. Then you’ve got people like Clifton Hicks in the clawhammer style. And others like my 2 favorites in “ Scruggs style” and throw in a couple others in that style : Little Roy Lewis and Jimmy Mills .
Ralph was the best!
No John Hartford?
The third one I seemed so chill as she jammed 😊
Sleepyman Banjo .. CZcams them. 3 brothers. Absolutely unreal!!
Little Roy Lewis doing Jubilee Chimes, America the beautiful or Dixie Breakdown, should be in this video. :)
Amen. Little Roy is one of the best ever.
I was Roy Clark at the Grand Ole Opry. He was amazing on many instruments!
Glad to see Steve Martin made it (one of the very best) but what about Stringbean, Grandpa Jones, Roni Stoneman or Buck Trent (inventor of the electric banjo)
Music of course, is an art form, and it’s difficult to rate people but it is quite obvious that, though Steve Martin is a competent player, you’re delusional if you think he’s a top player.
Steve is a great comedian who would like to be a legendary banjo player. He isn’t and at 75 years old he never will be. Earl is peerless except for Bela Fleck.
I follow mean Mary. She great. But then there all great on this list. Scruggs and Clark wow such talent.
Mean Mary is sweet! I met her one day in '18 and have loved her to pieces since. She signed my little 4 string for me that day, I have photo proof of that. I am sort of bummed that she went blonde. Glad to talk to another person who knows and likes her.
Personally one of my favorite banjo players of all time is Grandpa Jones, but I play Scruggs style banjo. If we are talking about who is the best Scruggs style player in the world? It has to be Earl Scruggs lol because he is the only one to perfect it because he did invent the style of picking. Now I'm not saying there isn't any one who cant play Scruggs style banjo like him or play it very very well professionally, but.... Man... NO ONE plays like Earl! Lol
As Sonny Osborne once said, Earl had the perfect right hand.
And Bashful Brother Oswald, Bobby Thompson.
Jonny Mizzone should've been in the video too. That kid is amazing.
Seem like there playing a hundred banjo in one love it
Man O' Man these sure do burn up dem strings!
Where's Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, Harold Morrison, Stringbean, Grandpa Jones, Johnny Clark?
No list is complete without Bobby Thompson!
Mean marry is the bomb.... Look up iron horse... Mean marry fast picking banjo iron horse video... 7 years old .... Im a big fan ..
Wow, whoever made this has no clue.
Brilliant!
Some really good talent here but I would include Jeremy Stephens, Kurt Stevenson, and Russ Carson. Jeremy and Kurt play with the band High Fidelity while Russ plays in Ricky Skaggs band.
Apparently you never heard Jens Kruger play. He is by far the best banjo musician ever playing anything from old-time music to bluegrass to classical.
Jens is amazing.
Jens Kruger, Bela fleck?
everyone is about the same, you can either roll or not
Jen's Kruger, Sonny Osbourne, Charlie Cushman, Don Reno.
I have Jens Kruger's autograph on my Gibson Mastertone.
Those are the two I rank at the very top for technical greatness along with Alison Brown who was shown and is often overlooked.
@@scottwiggins2093 - I've actually met Jens and Uwe (his brother). Sat with them at dinner and chatted with Jens about his influences and why/how someone from Switzerland landed in the Carolinas. Nice guy and really amazing to watch play from a few feet away...
Earl Scruggs, Roy Clark and Steve Martin are a few favorites. A young player with a nice style I just learned about is Lincoln Hensley.
Should be. .. "9 Random Banjo Players from CZcams"
Id like to add Roger Sprung to the list as well!! From his roots in Greenwich Village in the 1950's
I love this!!!
Where’s Bela Fleck where’s Jd Crowe where’s Russ Carson where’s Aaron Mcdaris.
Or Bill Emerson, or Bill Keith, or Don Reno. Half of the players on this video are innovators, the other half are hack copycats.
I was going to say the same thing. Lots of great old pickers
Don't forget Alan Munde, Stringbean and Tony Trischka too.
Totally agree. Also Sonny Osborne and not for nothing what about Bill Keith.
If Bella Fleck is not on the list, then it is fraudulent.
Jens Kruger? Gregory Liszt? Bela Fleck?
Noam and Allison Brown omg they are tops
WOW great collection!But Bela Fleck is the top of the heap as far as I'm concerned.
Mean Mary plays a mean Banjo! All these folks are Blessed with great talent - AND who would have thought STEVE MARTIN !!! - Wow
Let's not forget Roy Clark. Gone but not forgotten.
Roy was the 5th or 6th one featured on the video!
You haven't seen very many banjo players have you?
That's what I was thinking.