Each year since 1998 banjo pioneers along

with contemporary artists, educators, manu-

facturers and promoters have been honored

by the American Banjo Museum with induction

into its Hall of Fame. On Friday, September

11th, 2015, five inductees – including two mem-

bers of ALL FRETS joined the previous 77 mem-

bers of the Hall of Fame in a gala ceremony

held in Oklahoma City.

Festivities began the previous evening as early arrivals gathered at

the American Banjo Museum for a welcome reception. As food,

drink and socializing took place, 2013 HOF inductee, plectrum

banjoist Mike Gentry, was joined on stage by ABM board member

Danny Rubio on tuba and the duo set a lively musical mood for the entire weekend. A very special guest for

the event was John McEuen, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Attending in support of the in-

duction of Steve Martin (McEuen’s lifelong friend and banjo student), McEuen delighted the capacity crowd

with his renditions of both popular and obscure tunes which were both very musical and very entertaining.

Another guest of honor was Frank Hamilton. A Pete Seeger devotee in town to accept the HOF honor on be-

half of his mentor and musical collaborator, Hamilton is a folk music icon in his own right, having followed See-

ger into the legendary folk group, The Weavers. Playing the banjo which belonged to Dave Guard (founding

member of the Kingston Trio), Hamilton instantly won over the audience with his rendition of Seeger’s compo-

sition, If I Had A Hammer. More jamming followed and the weekend was off to a great start.

Preparations for the Hall of Fame ceremony had begun nearly a year

earlier with the election of Eddy Davis, Pete Seeger, Steve Martin, Tim

Allan and Albert Grover in November of 2014. ABM staff compiled ca-

reer highlights of each inductee and, during the preceding months,

produced video biographies of each to be included in the ceremony.

After such lengthy preparation the special night had finally arrived.

Guests arrived at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in OKC and walked the red

carpet prior to the ceremony itself. Following dinner, ABM executive

director, Johnny Baier, acting as the evening’s host, introduced induc-

tees, guests of honor, the ABM board of directors and ABM board president, Doug Parsons. With these im-

portant preliminaries accomplished, the true purpose of the evening began.

The first honoree was Canadian born Tim Allan. Already a HOF inductee for performance, Allan was being

recognized for his lifelong contributions to banjo education. After a video retrospective of his career intro-

duced Allan to the audience (many of whom were not banjo players), his sincere acceptance of the honor

was followed by a solo tenor banjo rendition of Ave Maria. The audience was truly appreciative of his

From the Director

In this issue

FROM THE DIRECTOR: 2015 HOF

CEREMONY WEEKEND

JACK MURPHY RECEIVES JACK CA-

NINE AWARD

PAYING FORWARD, PRESERVING OUR

BANJO HERITAGE UPDATE FROM PAUL

POIRIER

November 2015 Volume 1, Issue 4

T H E O F F I C I A L N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E

A M E R I C A N B A N J O M U S E U M

RING THE BANJO!

interpretive artistry and many were simply stunned by what level of music a

banjo was capable of producing.

While his name never appeared as the brand name on any banjo, the innova-

tions, designs and products which were the result of the fertile mind of Albert

Grover allowed virtually every major banjo manufacturer from the 1920s to the

present day to perfect their own banjo models. The designer and maker of tun-

ing pegs, bridges, tailpieces, and banjo accessories, Grover’s name is synony-

mous with the finest banjo accessories ever made. That tradition continues today with Grover Musical Prod-

ucts of Cleveland under the leadership of Richard Berger (who accepted on behalf of Grover and his family

which has carried on the Grover name since 1952).

An honoree for his role an eminent ambassador of the banjo was beloved actor, comedian, producer, writer

and banjo player, Steve Martin. As Martin was not able to attend the September event, in July he was pre-

sented with the HOF honor at a concert in San Diego. In his absence, the 2013 winner of the Steve Martin Prize

for Excellence in Banjo, Jens Kruger of the Kruger Brothers shared Martin’s passion for the banjo with the audi-

ence prior to stunning them by performing a flawless rendition of the Bach Concerto for Cello on the five-string

banjo. Following a video greeting from Steve Martin, his friend and teacher, John McEuen reminisced about

the pairs early banjo exploits, entertaining all with a spirited banjo favorite of their youth.

Known to the world as the Manhattan Minstrel and musical cohort to actor and

filmmaker, Woody Allen, banjoist Eddy Davis was the next honoree. Following a

video highlighting a lifelong career full of highlights, Davis fondly recalled the

people and music of his past, while looking forward to creating new and excit-

ing music in the future. He then treated the audience to a trio of songs which

he felt best described his past, present and future. A beloved figure in today’s

banjo world, Davis was acknowledged with a standing ovation.

The final honoree of the evening was folksinger and activist, Pete Seeger. Being

honored posthumously (Seeger passed away the previous year), Seeger represents a major figure in the post

WWII rebirth of interest in both the banjo as well as traditional American folk music. Accepting on Seeger’s

behalf was longtime friend and musical collaborator, Frank Hamilton. Reminding all of the values which drove

Pete Seeger’s life and music, Hamilton led the crowd in rousing version of This Land Is Your Land.

Prior to bringing the evening to a close, special recognition was given to long-time ABM volunteer (and ALL

FRETS member), Jack Murphy with his being awarded The Jack Canine Award. Chosen for the honor by Mr.

Canine himself, Murphy has devoted countless volunteer hours to the advancement of the museum’s mission.

In honor of their band mate, the Okie Dokie Banjo Band brought the evening to a spirited musical conclusion.

The following day, attention was again directed to the American Banjo Museum

where an unforgettable day of performances was about to take place. At 80

years of age, Frank Hamilton seemed like a young man as masterfully breezed

through a 40 minute set, recreating the music of Pete Seeger, the Weavers and

other folk icons. Hamilton’s first person accounts of the folk boom of the 1940s, 50s

and 60s were entertaining and insightful, adding a very personal element to his mu-

sical offerings.

Jens Kruger is the banjo voice of the famous Kruger Brothers band and is revered as

one of the finest musicians in the world. Kruger took the ABM stage and enthralled

the audience with his unspeakable skill as both a musician and composer. His original compositions per-

formed with impeccable technique and interpretation left the audience – many of whom were four-string en-

thusiasts – impressed and enlightened as to the musical possibilities of the five-string banjo. Hall of Fame induc-

tee, Tim Allan, followed with a musical and entertaining set which proved why his unique solo tenor banjo style

is so admired around the world. During his performance, Tim invited ABM founder and benefactor, Jack Ca-

nine to the stage to join him. Playing a Bacon banjo ukulele that was formerly owned by the late HOF mem-

ber Dave Frey, Canine added a unique musical spark to Tim’s set, playing and singing several very entertain-

ing specialties.

Eddy Davis then took the stage and performed a number of delicious yet obscure jazz tunes from his encyclo-

pedic repertoire of the genre. Davis’ set segued to another HOF member, Mike Gentry, who both entertained

and engaged the audience with a beautiful mix of musicianship and entertainment skills. A highlight of the

afternoon came when Gentry, Tim Allan, Eddy Davis, Jens Kruger and ABM director, Johnny Baier all took the

stage for an impromptu jam jazz jam session. While each player has a unique personal style, the spontaneous

musical energy and interaction was a unique and special treat for the audience.

As another unique and memorable American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame weekend came to a close, antici-

pation for next year’s event was already beginning. 2016 inductees will be announced in January…stay

tuned!

At the 2015 American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame awards, this year’s

Jack Canine Award was presented to Jack Murphy. Established in 2009

to honor individuals who – as a labor of love - have made significant con-

tributions to the development and awareness of the museum, the annual

award recipient is selected by Mr. Canine himself.

This year’s honoree, Jack Murphy, was selected in recognition of his self-

less devotion to the ABM as both a member of the board of directors as

well as a tireless staff volunteer. From the earliest days of the museum’s

existence in Guthrie, Murphy played a major role in keeping the doors

open in the days prior to having a paid staff. He was a key figure in es-

tablishing and maintaining a banjo educational program at the Guthrie location and, since the ABM made its

move to its new location in downtown OKC in 2009, has continued his devoted service to the museum and

the banjo community. Congratulations to Jack Murphy on this deserved honor.

First, please join with me to welcome Dustin Pyeatte, our new Community Outreach Man-

ager, to the American Banjo Museum. Dustin comes to us with much needed experience

in community outreach in the Oklahoma City area. The addition of this position at the

ABM is another step forward in our campaign to make sure the Museum is funded well into

the future and to move us forward on our mission to Preserve, Promote and Present the

banjo. Dustin will be responsible for implementing our mission plans in the OKC area and

branching out to the membership and Banjo Community as a whole. Welcome Dustin,

we are very pleased to have you on board.

Our Museum has started a comprehensive community outreach program. With this we

intend to reach out to, not only the local banjo community but also to the people in and

around the Oklahoma City area who support the arts. With this in mind we hope to develop a regular sched-

ule of in house mini performances and events that will highlight the Museum in the Oklahoma City area. Plan-

ning is ongoing for our new interactive learning exhibit. This exhibit is not yet funded, but we are working with

folks who we think will see the benefit of an interactive educational, hands on museum exhibit. We envision

this exhibit to include video clips from Hall of Fame members to give a short lessons on how to play a banjo.

This might seem almost impossible but we believe we can have people playing a song in a very short amount

Paying Forward, Preserving Our Banjo Heritage By Paul Poirier

Jack Murphy Receives Jack Canine Award

of time. With any luck, an exhibit of this type will inspire museum visitors to become banjo players! If you wish

to help fund this exhibit, please let us know!

We have been meeting with major metropolitan museums to develop an exhibit that can travel to museums

and events around the country. Executive Director, Johnny Baier recently represented the Museum in New

York City, at a banjo gathering hosted by Hall of Fame performer Cynthia Sayer. Included as part of the event

was a mini exhibit of banjos and stories telling the history of and the value of the banjo as an instrument and as

art.

The “Banjo Players Legacy” directory, (I am personally very excited about the prospects for this exhibit), is on

track to begin accepting individual legacy information and photographs early in 2016. This exhibit will present

a historical record and legacy of as many banjo players as we can find, past and present. The directory will

connect with our museum archives and be a searchable database to photos, articles and audio / video web

links of individual banjo players. The directory will be a stand alone exhibit at the Museum for museum guests

to view, as well as, a searchable database in a “members only” portion of the Museum’s website. To accom-

plish this project we will NEED your help! Get information about yourself, other players, family members or

friends, living or deceased and banjo bands ready to submit for inclusion in this exhibit.

All of this is possible because of the generosity of our banjo Family. People just like you and me, who believe in

the importance of our mission! This is no small task and your continued support is crucial to the success of our

mission. Our Museum is a great place, doing great work for the banjo community. I want to thank all of you

who are contributors and encourage you all to get out there and tell others about all the great things that are

going on at our American Banjo Museum! You can see we are moving forward with our campaign to fulfill our

mission to Preserve, Promote and Present the banjo! We have come so very far in such a short time . There is

still a very long way to go, so I hope all of you will join us and the growing numbers of your fellow banjo lovers

who are supporting the American Banjo Museum.

American Banjo Museum

9 E. Sheridan Avenue

Oklahoma City, OK 73104

www.americanbanjomuseum.com

The American Banjo Museum is a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 with the mission of preserving and

promoting the music and heritage of America’s Instrument - the banjo