Joan Dickerson

Throughout our history, the banjo has been a passion of Americans from plantations to Park Avenue, waning at times in favor, but still electrifying. That "half barbaric twang," thrilled me so much, that I knew I had to play banjo. But, like most people, I didn't realize that there were types and styles of banjos-Tenor, Plectrum, Bluegrass, Old Time, Classic, Minstrel, Frailing, Clawhammer, Jazz. So when my banjo teacher (who would be more than 100 years old now) offered me "Classic" banjo, I fortunately did not know enough to decline in favor of the sound I'd heard -- Bluegrass.

As one of the few black players of this style (of an instrument which had an African origin and was once strongly associated with African Americans), I have, of course, been the subject of several newspaper articles. Classic banjo is the style used at the Turn-of-the-Century. Weston, Van Eps, Oakly, Farland and Ossman were well known and noted. I usually play period instruments from the 90’s (the Gay Nineties) through the twenties.

I've studied with Russell Truitt, and with Norm Azinger, and have performed with him as well as with Al Smith, Bill Stewart and Jeff Grosser, masters of the plectrum banjo and Greg Allen a tenor banjoist.

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