Give Me the Banjo Page #2

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ENRICHED BY IT.

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

TROUBLE, TROUBLE

TROUBLE IN MY MIND

IF TROUBLE DON'T KILL ME

TROUBLE IN MY MIND

IF TROUBLE DON'T KILL ME

I'M SURE I'LL LIVE FINE

IF TROUBLE DON'T KILL ME

I'M SURE I'LL LIVE FINE

DON'T GET TROUBLE

I'M SURE I'LL LIVE FINE

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

DON'T GET TROUBLE

IN YOUR MIND:

WEEER-EEER-EEER-EEER...

[ WINDING SPRING ]

YOU CAN'T TALK ABOU THE HISTORY OF THE BANJO

IF YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT RACISM,

THE HISTORY OF THE BANJO

IF YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT RACISM,

SLAVERY, MISOGYNY,

IF YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT RACISM,

SLAVERY, MISOGYNY,

APPROPRIATION, EXPLOITATION --

SLAVERY, MISOGYNY,

APPROPRIATION, EXPLOITATION --

ALL OF THE THINGS THAT RUN

APPROPRIATION, EXPLOITATION --

ALL OF THE THINGS THAT RUN

COUNTER TO WHAT WE LOVE

ALL OF THE THINGS THAT RUN

COUNTER TO WHAT WE LOVE

ABOUT THE BANJO.

WE'RE AT A POINT IN OUR

UNDERSTANDING OF THE HISTORY OF

THIS INSTRUMENT THAT IT'S NO

LONGER ACCEPTABLE TO PRETEND

THESE OTHER THINGS DON'T EXIST.

[ ORCHESTRA PLAYS ]

Male chorus:
IN THE EVENING

BY THE MOONLIGHT...

THE MINSTREL STAGE WAS

LIKE GOING TO THE MOVIES TODAY.

I MEAN, IT WAS THE MOST POPULAR

FORM OF ENTERTAINMEN FROM ROUGHLY 1830 UNTIL

THE END OF THE CENTURY

THAN ANY OTHER ENTERTAINMEN IN THE WORLD.

BECAUSE IT WAS SO POPULAR,

ALL OF THAT WAS A PAR OF THIS CARICATURE

ALL OF THAT WAS A PAR OF THIS CARICATURE

THAT BEGAN AS A REALISTIC WAY

OF THIS CARICATURE

THAT BEGAN AS A REALISTIC WAY

OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND

THAT BEGAN AS A REALISTIC WAY

OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND

THE BLACK COMMUNITY,

OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND

THE BLACK COMMUNITY,

BUT SHORTLY,

THE BLACK COMMUNITY,

BUT SHORTLY,

BECAME A WAY OF DEGRADING

BUT SHORTLY,

BECAME A WAY OF DEGRADING

AND BECAME A WAY OF TRIVIALIZING

BECAME A WAY OF DEGRADING

AND BECAME A WAY OF TRIVIALIZING

THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

AND BECAME A WAY OF TRIVIALIZING

THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

THE BANJO BECAME THE INSTRUMEN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

THE BANJO BECAME THE INSTRUMEN THAT WAS THE IMAGE

THE BANJO BECAME THE INSTRUMEN THAT WAS THE IMAGE

OF SLAVE LIFE.

IF YOU TAKE AN:

AFRICAN-AMERICAN INSTRUMENT,

WITH ITS AFRICAN ROOTS,

AFRICAN-AMERICAN INSTRUMENT,

WITH ITS AFRICAN ROOTS,

AND YOU ADD TO I WITH ITS AFRICAN ROOTS,

AND YOU ADD TO I THE CELTIC MUSICAL TRADITIONS

AND YOU ADD TO I THE CELTIC MUSICAL TRADITIONS

AND WESTERN EUROPEAN

THE CELTIC MUSICAL TRADITIONS

AND WESTERN EUROPEAN

MUSICAL TRADITIONS

AND WESTERN EUROPEAN

MUSICAL TRADITIONS

THAT THESE WHITE PERFORMERS HAD,

MUSICAL TRADITIONS

THAT THESE WHITE PERFORMERS HAD,

WHAT YOU WIND UP WITH

THAT THESE WHITE PERFORMERS HAD,

WHAT YOU WIND UP WITH

IS SOMETHING THAT'S TOTALLY NEW,

WHAT YOU WIND UP WITH

IS SOMETHING THAT'S TOTALLY NEW,

THAT COME TOGETHER

IS SOMETHING THAT'S TOTALLY NEW,

THAT COME TOGETHER

FOR THE FIRST TIME AND MAKE

THAT COME TOGETHER

FOR THE FIRST TIME AND MAKE

SOMETHING TRULY AMERICAN.

THE STAGE IS SET VERY SIMPLY

WHEN WE SEE THE TWO CULTURES

COMING TOGETHER.

IT DIDN'T TAKE ENTERTAINERS

LONG TO FIGURE OUT, WOW, IF I GO

OUT TO THE CIRCUS OR IF I GO

DOWN TO MY LOCAL MUSIC PARLOR

AND I PLAY THIS BANJO,

WHICH NO ONE'S EVER SEEN

A WHITE MAN PLAY BEFORE,

AND I PLAY THIS MUSIC THAT NO

ONE'S EVER HEARD BEFORE,

I WILL MAKE MONEY.

Martin:
JOEL WALKER SWEENEY

BROUGHT THE BANJO TO CENTER

STAGE OF AMERICAN CULTURE.

BORN IN APPOMATTOX, VIRGINIA,

AROUND 1810, SWEENEY FOUND

HIS CALLING WHEN HE HEARD

THE "HALF-BARBARIC TWANG"

OF THE GOURD BANJO AS PLAYED BY

HIS NEIGHBOR SLAVES.

FROM THEM HE LEARNED

THE DOWNSTROKE STYLE

AND HOW TO BUILD

HIS OWN INSTRUMENT.

HE MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF

AS A BLACK-FACE

SONG-AND-DANCE MAN IN THE CIRCUS

AND THEN CAME TO NEW YORK'S

BOWERY THEATERS:

WITH THE BANJO ON HIS KNEE.

IT'S THE FIRST BIG BANG

OF THE BANJO.

ALL THE GUYS WHO HAD BEEN

DOING BLACK FACE

ALL OF THE SUDDEN WANTED

TO PLAY BANJO.

NEW YORK WAS NOT ONLY

THE JUMPING-OFF PLACE,

BUT IT WAS ALSO A PLACE

THE JUMPING-OFF PLACE,

BUT IT WAS ALSO A PLACE

FOR ALL THESE ACTS

BUT IT WAS ALSO A PLACE

FOR ALL THESE ACTS

TO INTERMINGLE AND MIX

FOR ALL THESE ACTS

TO INTERMINGLE AND MIX

AND COMPETE AND STEAL MATERIAL

TO INTERMINGLE AND MIX

AND COMPETE AND STEAL MATERIAL

FROM EACH OTHER.

AND COMPETE AND STEAL MATERIAL

FROM EACH OTHER.

AND SO HE FELL RIGHT INTO THAT.

FROM EACH OTHER.

AND SO HE FELL RIGHT INTO THAT.

Martin:
NEW YORK AUDIENCES

AND SO HE FELL RIGHT INTO THAT.

Martin:
NEW YORK AUDIENCES

WERE ALREADY WELL-ACQUAINTED

Martin:
NEW YORK AUDIENCES

WERE ALREADY WELL-ACQUAINTED

WITH BLACK-FACE ENTERTAINERS.

WERE ALREADY WELL-ACQUAINTED

WITH BLACK-FACE ENTERTAINERS.

BUT THE SEEMINGLY AUTHENTIC

WITH BLACK-FACE ENTERTAINERS.

BUT THE SEEMINGLY AUTHENTIC

PLANTATION SONGS

BUT THE SEEMINGLY AUTHENTIC

PLANTATION SONGS

AND PLAYING STYLE MADE SWEENEY

PLANTATION SONGS

AND PLAYING STYLE MADE SWEENEY

INTO ONE OF THE HOTTEST TICKETS

AND PLAYING STYLE MADE SWEENEY

INTO ONE OF THE HOTTEST TICKETS

ON THE BOWERY STAGE.

INTO ONE OF THE HOTTEST TICKETS

ON THE BOWERY STAGE.

FOLLOWING IN SWEENEY'S

ON THE BOWERY STAGE.

FOLLOWING IN SWEENEY'S

FOOTSTEPS, FOUR BLACK-FACE

FOLLOWING IN SWEENEY'S

FOOTSTEPS, FOUR BLACK-FACE

PERFORMERS JOINED FORCES

FOOTSTEPS, FOUR BLACK-FACE

PERFORMERS JOINED FORCES

IN A BOWERY BOARDINGHOUSE

PERFORMERS JOINED FORCES

IN A BOWERY BOARDINGHOUSE

AND CALLED THEMSELVES

IN A BOWERY BOARDINGHOUSE

AND CALLED THEMSELVES

THE VIRGINIA MINSTRELS.

AND CALLED THEMSELVES

THE VIRGINIA MINSTRELS.

IN THE WINTER OF 1843,

THE VIRGINIA MINSTRELS.

IN THE WINTER OF 1843,

THEY DEBUTED A NEW FORM

IN THE WINTER OF 1843,

THEY DEBUTED A NEW FORM

OF POPULAR ENTERTAINMEN THEY DEBUTED A NEW FORM

OF POPULAR ENTERTAINMEN THAT WOULD DOMINATE

OF POPULAR ENTERTAINMEN THAT WOULD DOMINATE

THE AMERICAN STAGE

THAT WOULD DOMINATE

THE AMERICAN STAGE

FOR THE NEXT HALF CENTURY --

THE AMERICAN STAGE

FOR THE NEXT HALF CENTURY --

THE FIRST FULL-LENGTH

FOR THE NEXT HALF CENTURY --

THE FIRST FULL-LENGTH

BLACK-FACE MINSTREL SHOW.

THE FIRST FULL-LENGTH

BLACK-FACE MINSTREL SHOW.

BECAUSE THE BANJO COMES

BLACK-FACE MINSTREL SHOW.

BECAUSE THE BANJO COMES

INTO AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC

BECAUSE THE BANJO COMES

INTO AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC

IN THE PERIOD OF THE EARLY 1840s

INTO AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC

IN THE PERIOD OF THE EARLY 1840s

WITH PLAYERS LIKE

IN THE PERIOD OF THE EARLY 1840s

WITH PLAYERS LIKE

DANIEL DECATUR EMMET WITH PLAYERS LIKE

DANIEL DECATUR EMMET AND JOEL WALKER SWEENEY,

DANIEL DECATUR EMMET AND JOEL WALKER SWEENEY,

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