The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashioned by African-Americans in the United States, adapted from African instruments of similar design. The banjo is frequently associated with folk and country music, and has also been used in some rock songs. Several rock bands, such as The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, and The Allman Brothers, have used the five-string banjo in some of their songs. Historically, the banjo occupied a central place in African-American traditional music and the folk culture of rural whites before entering the mainstream via the minstrel shows of the 19th century. Along with the fiddle, the banjo is a mainstay of American styles of music, such as Bluegrass and old-time music. It is also very frequently used in traditional ("trad") jazz.
William Smith Monroe was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the "Father of Bluegrass".
Horry County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, its population was 289,650, making it the fifth-most populous county in South Carolina. The county seat is Conway.
Conway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 17,103 at the 2010 census, and estimated at 25,956 in 2019. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the home of Coastal Carolina University.
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is in the center of a large and continuous 60-mile (97 km) stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in northeastern South Carolina.
Ralph Edmund Stanley was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of The Stanley Brothers, and most often as the leader of his band, The Clinch Mountain Boys. He was also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley.
David Anthony Rice was an American guitarist and bluegrass musician. He was an influential acoustic guitar player in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
The Grand Strand is an arc of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States, extending more than 60 miles (97 km) from Little River to Winyah Bay.
The Vega Company was a musical instrument manufacturer that started operations in Boston, Massachusetts in 1881. The company began under Swedish-born Julius Nelson, his brother Carl, and a group of associates that included John Pahn and John Swenson. The founders had previously worked for a guitar shop run by Pehr Anderberg that made instruments for John C. Haynes, another Boston musical instrument company. Nelson had served as foreman of guitar and mandolin manufacturing at Anderberg's shop. Subsequently, Julius and Carl Nelson bought out the other founding associates and established the Vega company.
The Dillards are an American bluegrass band from Salem, Missouri, popularly known for their appearance as "The Darlings" on The Andy Griffith Show.
Reno and Smiley were an American musical duo that was composed of Don Reno and Red Smiley. They were one of the most acclaimed duos in country and bluegrass music in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Carolina Forest is an unincorporated community in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It is located west of Myrtle Beach and east of Conway in an area planned by International Paper in the late 1990s. Most of the development follows the Carolina Forest Master Plan, developed cooperatively between International Paper and the Horry County Government.
Horry County Schools (HCS) is a public school district serving Horry County, South Carolina and is the third-largest school district in South Carolina. It serves over 45,000 students in 56 schools. The district office is located in Conway, South Carolina.
The Cockman Family is a bluegrass/Southern gospel band from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, United States.
Doyle Lawson is an American traditional bluegrass and Southern gospel musician. He is best known as a mandolin player, vocalist, producer, and leader of the 5-man group Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Lawson was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
The Johnson Mountain Boys were a popular bluegrass band throughout the 1980s from the Washington, D.C. area. Their style favored a more traditional approach to bluegrass than some of their contemporaries. They released two 45 RPM single records, one EP record, ten albums and toured widely, playing venues such as Madison Square Garden, The White House, the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Grand Ole Opry in the United States. Other tours took them around the world to Canada, England, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Africa. The group was frequently recognized with nominations for Grammy Awards, International Bluegrass Music Awards, and awards from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America. Many of the band's members are still active in other musical groups and settings.
Benjamin Horace Williams was an American bluegrass musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he sang and played fiddle, guitar, banjo, autoharp, and mandolin.
Bluegrass mandolin is a style of mandolin playing most commonly heard in bluegrass bands.
Alan Bibey is a mandolinist, singer, songwriter, and band leader in the bluegrass tradition.
Tony Williamson is an American internationally renowned mandolin player from Chatham County, North Carolina, whose compositions integrate everything from traditional Piedmont string band tunes to classical music and jazz.
