Gourd banjos and their original owners.

[Carl Anderton]

I may be under-informed on this matter, but to date I am unaware of any specific documentation of gourd banjos being played by anyone other than African-Americans.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=lZ8RAAAAYAAJ&dq=gourd%20banjo&...

 

As far as I can tell, this mention of gourd banjo music does not refer to an African-American player.  Thought it might be of interest.

[John Masciale]

Some of Joel Walker Sweeney's early sheet music (1830s) shows him playing a gourd banjo.  He is in blackface in the drawings.

[Carl Anderton]

I'm not convinced those early Sweeney covers prove he was using a gourd banjo.  For one thing, we know artists of the period were often unfamiliar with banjo construction.  One illustration of Joseph Cave shows a banjo with a sound hole in the head(!) Also, dramatic license may have been taken to lend "authenticity" to his reputation.

 

Once again, I am no expert on gourd banjos, but I just haven't seen much clear proof that they were anything but the "exclusive province" of African-American players.

 

My theory (such as it is) is that once the banjo really took off (early 40's), white people would have viewed a gourd banjo as "beneath them;" i. e. a black instrument--in a day when white supremacy was hardly questioned.

 

Also, remember the copy of the Haiti gourd that Pete Ross had at AEBG a couple of years ago?  The thing was hard as hell to play beyond the second fret. Original gourd banjos just weren't made for Converse-style playing, I'm thinking.

 

These are all just opinions of mine, not really documented, so I hope I don't piss anyone off with them.  I'll happily admit I'm wrong if someone can show me contrary evidence.