By Gabriela Huselton
An African American man playing the banjo in 1902.
Joel Walker Sweeney was an American musician and early blackface minstrel performer of the 17th century. He is also considered the inventor of the banjo. In fact, if you google “who invented the banjo”, he is the first name to appear in bold letters. The banjo has historically been used in American roots music, but did you know that it originated in West Africa?
The earliest banjos were brought to the United States by enslaved West Africans in the 17th century. The instrument went by many names such as “banjar”, “banza”, “bangoe”, and “bangie”. In fact, the first mention of the banjo was found in a document from Martinique dating back to 1678 where it states that the “banza” was played at slave gatherings.
For a long time, the banjo was considered a “primitive” instrument by white American slaveholders. But by the mid-19th century and into the early 20th century, white musicians played the banjo in minstrel shows, a theatrical form founded on the comical enactment of racial stereotypes.
The banjo is now widely known for its role in bluegrass music—a tradition-based modern style of string band music that emerged in the 1940s. Today there are many popular folk artists that incorporate the banjo into their instrumentals such as The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons. These are predominantly white music genres, and they have led people to overlook the banjo’s historical origin. There are brilliant black artists to support that have contributed to American bluegrass and folk music. To name a few are Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons, Our Native Daughters, and Jake Blount. Be sure to give them a listen the next time you’re craving the melodious twang of the banjo.
You can reach Gabriela Huselton at ghuselto@uci.edu !
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