In episode 3 of the podcast seriesAmerican Songster Radio, host Dom Flemons calls on blues legend Taj Mahal for a conversation about their mutual love of the banjo and its complicated history.
"All the pictures and caricatures of those black-faced minstrels really seemed to be degrading. But the instrument itself - there was something about it. It would rattle in my bones," Taj Mahal says of his early connections with instrument.
In this episode, Dom and Taj talk about the role of the banjo in blues and folk music and Dom plays a Henry Thomas tune, "Charming Betsy." That's with the help of "Big Head Joe," a giant six-string banjo and the quills. Don't know about the quills? Check out this video from Dom:
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