Banjo Making And Serious Picking: You Can’t Be Sad And Play A Banjo

Ben Johnson has an infectious smile and a look that makes you curious. Ben is an unassuming master of his art - banjo making and serious picking. His musical history begins with chickens and Sears Roebuck. In high school he played football until he broke his leg. While he was recovering, he saw a Ukulele in the Sears Roebuck catalog. That was the beginning. The next big change was when he found an old banjo in his grandmother’s attic. He wanted to play it so badly that he sold his car and used the money to repair the banjo. He wanted to learn how to play like Earl Scruggs but had a big problem … his banjo had four strings. When he bought a five-string one, his music took off.
He made is first banjo out of the rim of a rusted chicken watering can. He found an old drum head, attached it with curtain rod holders and finished it with a neck he whittled with a pocket knife. That was the first of a long stream of beautiful instruments he’s made over the next 60-plus years. Ben has a long career as a teacher, banjo builder and musician. He performed for celebrities like President Jimmy Carter, President Ronald Reagan, Rosalynn Carter, Lady Bird Johnson, Jackie Gleason, Johnny Cash and Coretta Scott King. And he’s spent a lifetime playing for “just good people” all over the country.
There’s one important thing I learned from Ben Johnson. You can’t be sad and play the banjo. The music just makes you happy. This story aired on WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News in 1978.
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@georgiatraveler
Long before CNN and Fox News the Traveler series with Andy Johnston was an Emmy award winning program that showcased amazing people, unusual things, local legends, food finds, outdoor activities, folk art, and family fun. In 2022 the Walter J. Brown Media Archives at the University of Georgia founded The Original Georgia Traveler -- Andy Johnston Collection to preserve and maintain the stories.
The Traveler Series celebrates life and living in America in the 1970s. These are true stories about nostalgia, small towns, traditional life and the good old days. The stories give us ways to compare then and now. Folklore, music, handcrafts, vanishing America and unusual people.
This story is presented for educational and preservation purposes and is covered under Fair Use. At the time it was broadcast the television station had a blanket music license with ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. The station maintains that license today. All music used is covered under that agreement.
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[@olskool3967]

beautiful! i wonder if he is still picking and grinning,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[@georgiatraveler]

Ben is still picking. He's in his 80s and lives in Franklin County, Georgia

[@dumbasscountryboy]

@@georgiatravelerthat’s awesome

[@Quiksilversurf311]

Another great upload Andy! Keep them coming!