If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. There is no way to achieve that old-fashioned Appalachian ...

Stewart Universal Favorite Custom Banjo, ca. 1890. The neck is made from cherry, and the instrument’s shell is made from maple. The heel plate is ebony. The tuning pegs and head, ivory tailpiece and ...

in the United States between the 1730s and the 1830s turns up 58 different references to the banjo-and 57 of those citations describe the instrument as being played by black Americans. Ross, one of ...

Originating with enslaved Africans, the banjo is now being reclaimed by Black musicians in contemporary music ...