American Banjo Museum

The banjo, it is said, is the only instrument that cannot play a sad song. After visiting the American Banjo Museum, you might come to see why that is the case. Now, the Banjo might seem like a good old fashioned American icon, especially if you are into bluegrass or jazz, but what if I told you its origins come from a black spot in American history. The banjo actually started out as an African instrument that was brought over to the US by means of.....slaves. In fact, some of the earliest banjos were made from cut open gourds and a little string. It wasn't until the mid-to-late 1800's that the banjo started picking up popularity, going as far as performing in groups called Minstrels. By this time, however, the banjo wasn't just a "black" instrument. Even white folk were picking up the banjo to play. In fact, one of the more famous of the earliest minstrel groups was Christy's Minstrels, founded by E.P Christy. The popular song "Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)" was made by this very group.  Now, when you enter the museum, you will start out by learning of the history of the banjo, which includes a description of the Christy's Minstrels. Once you learn about the history of the banjo, then make your way into seeing some of the actual banjos of the period, such as this banjo belonging to William Boucher, circa 1845.

Now as you move along in the years, you will notice that the banjo becomes more elaborate. Such as the Gibson All American banjo shown below. By the way. Gibson also made many electric guitars used by many famous rock stars. The banjo was quite the centerpiece of American Jazz and later bluegrass. So much so that they even made parlors that featured banjo music while you sat and ate your meal...kinda like a dinner and a show. The banjo even made it into Hollywood when it was featured in the movie "Deliverance".

All of what I have talked about so far is on the first floor. Make your way up to the second floor where there are many more banjos on display, including this one of a kind bass banjo made by Gibson.

One famous group you will learn about is "The Kingston Trio". Created by Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds. This group was certainly the hit among the men, and the heart throb among the women. In fact, they were such a hit, out of the 19 albums they recorded that made the Billboard 100, 14 made the Top 10, and five of them hit the #1 spot. I will let you see for yourself in the video at the bottom. The American Banjo Museum features a large number of banjos that have both enriched and shaped our history. Visiting the museum might just make you want to pick one up yourself and start playing. As a matter of fact, be sure to visit the gift shop. You can buy a banjo as well as instruction books on how to play. Be warned though, they don't come cheap; costing as high as $475 for a five string banjo Then of course, like every gift shop, there are T-shirts, shot glasses, books, magnets, etc. They do have on sale some albums from the Kingston Trio as well as some banjo picks. By the way, if you have ever seen the show "Malcolm In the Middle", you will have heard this song before.

Entertainment: 3
Educational: 4
Price: 4
Cafe: N/A
Gift Shop:4
Overall: 4

Additional Information

Address: 9 E. Sheridan Ave. Oklahoma City, OK

Hours of Operation:
Tues- Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sun. 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Closed on Mondays, and major holidays

Price:
Adults: $6
Seniors (55+) and Students: $5
Youth (5-17): $4
Children (under 5): Free
Family (2 adults - 2 children): $15

For more information visit: http://www.americanbanjomuseum.com/