One of the sounds most synonymous with the South is the twang of a banjo—barely edged out by the thrum of cicadas or the honeyed cadence of the Southern drawl itself. But this distinctive instrument ...

An exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., focuses on the imagery of a central player in America's deeply conflicted racial history: the banjo. "Picturing the Banjo" features ...

Early American banjo music is Black music. The banjo was created by enslaved African Americans, and according to the Smithsonian Institute, up until the 1830s, the banjo was exclusively an African ...

The banjo gets a bum rap. A staple of American country music, its bright tone and rhythmic clangor threaten to overwhelm musical gatherings of other, milder string-band instruments, such as guitar, ...

When it comes to Black music, a significant part of our heritage is neglected, some would say out of ignorance and willful disregard of our past. One such genre is “old-time” music that includes blues ...

The rambling, funky ride called Banjo Billy's Bus Tours, in Boulder, Colo., is equal parts history, crime stories and comedy. It's all woven together by John Georgis — better known as Banjo Billy — in ...

2 of 6 — It's a packed house aboard the funky bus. 3 of 6 — Banjo Billy woos the crowd with tales of forgotten pioneers, obscure legends and historic haunts. 4 of 6 — Banjo Billy guides the bus ...

4 of 6 — Banjo Billy guides the bus through Chautauqua Park, home to Boulder's signature Flatirons rock formation. The park is also home to mischievous tales of rock climbers gone wild. 5 of 6 — ...

The Banjo Billy bus cruises along 13th Street on Boulder's University Hill. The brick building on the left is home to the historic Flatirons Theatre, which figures into one of Billy's more grisly ...