Hooks & Nuts

This might seem like a simple question and the answers may seem “obvious” to those of us who have been to many of these events. But, what if you had NEVER gone...

The first 25 fret long neck banjo started out as a standard 22 fret neck banjo.  Folk legend, Pete Seeger, explained in his banjo instruction book that he had...

The Mad Caddies’ talents reach far beyond the boundaries of ska and punk, enabling them to throw a musical curve ball into the mix without notice. Reggae,...

Today she labors on her TV show, produces music for herself and other artists, produces shows and videos, is co-writing a novel trilogy about the music world,...

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Harvey Reid has honed his craft over the last 40 years in countless clubs, festivals, streetcorners, cafes, schools and...

Best known for his work with the "Weird Al" Yankovic Band, guitarist Jim West is also a composer of TV and film and has produced a number of CDs for...

Multi-instrumentalist, New Zealand born Keith Urban was raised in Australia. Though best known for his acoustic and electric guitar playing, he also plays...

Founder of the Woodsongs Radio Hour.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy™ Living Legend Rod Stewart has been lauded as having one of the most distinctive voices in pop music. The success of the...

A broad spectrum of music Americana, with a bit of "the old country" music thrown in for good measure, has made John McEuen known as America's instrumental...

Kieran Hanrahan is an Irish radio host and high profile musician, born in Ennis, Co. Clare. He began playing traditional Irish music on the tenor banjo at the...

Billy Lee started playing the banjo at age 11. He would go with his family to country dances that his Uncle "Sock" would play the banjo for. He was hooked on...

Banjoholic, Mary Z. Cox, a third generation Floridian, has played banjo since she was 12, and is a two time Florida champion. She has won old time music...

John Hartford won Grammy awards in three different decades, recorded a catalog of more than 30 albums, and wrote one of the most popular songs of all time,...

Graham Sharp began playing banjo in college and almost immediately fell into playing with Charles and Woody. Originally introduced to bluegrass by his high...

Rhiannon is a show-stopper -- not only for her glorious voice but also for her incredible versatility. She ranges across many styles and genres, and is equally...

Noam Pikelny is an American banjoist. He is a member of the "Americana country-classical chamber music" group Punch Brothers and was previously in Leftover...

George Grove, 37-year veteran of The Kingston Trio (as of 2013), has been playing Deering banjos exclusively for over 25 years, both on-stage and in the...

Composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Taj Mahal is one of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th century blues and roots music. Though...

So, who is Mark Johnson and how did he learn this unique style? A native of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Mark now hangs his hat in Florida but learned his trade...

Ashley Campbell was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona but now calls Los Angeles home. She has been on several world tours with her father, Glen Campbell and...

The first banjo music that I ever heard was as a kid. That strange Philadelphia phenomenon called the String Band, as in MUMMERS. (See my essay, A Trip Back...

After listening to Same Trailer Different Park, the Nashville-based singer-songwriter’s first album for Mercury Records, it’s clear that this is a girl who has...

Dom Flemmons is a multi-instrumentalist and a songster. Playing in a broad range of old-time blues, country, string band, rock and jazz, he has impressed...

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, a contemporary swing revival band from Ventura, California in 1989 by their band leader Scotty Morris, player of a Deering Maple Blossom...

At age six, when Jens (Yens) heard the banjo on one of his dad's American records, he yearned to play it. But having no access to one, Jens played their...

The Duke of Drive, Terry Baucom, is well known to bluegrass fans. Terry's time with the award-winning Doyle Lawson and Quiksilver Band not only brought him...

Among the major-league talent emerging from the folk music boom of the late '50s were the Country Gentlemen, a D.C.-based quartet that introduced bluegrass to...

Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved toNashville, Tennessee at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in country music. She signed to the...

Scott Avett. Player of the Deering Sierra, Black Diamond, Tenbrooks Legacy and Vega Senator banjos, is one of the lead singers and founding members of the...

For all of you who don’t own a Deering, Vega, or Goodtime banjo, we have a special message.  For those of you who do or are thinking about buying one of our...

Attending the Black Prairie concert in March 2013 at the historical McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California, I had the pleasant opportunity to catch...

Bio: Winston Marshall is the banjo player for the band Mumford and Sons.

I recently wrote an article about strengthening your fretting hand’s pinky and ring finger.   A common question that I have heard over the years is; “what good...