Cedric Watson on gourd banjo "Darlin Cori"

[@Drangorooq27]

ORIGINS OF COUNTRY MUSIC RIGHT THERE. RURAL BLACK FOLK MUSIC.

[@YourLocalR3NecK]

Thats true, it did come from black folk your right! But nowadays its sang and played for folks of all races to enjoy, but overall it has a very Southern History and origin.

[@Drangorooq27]

@@YourLocalR3NecK@YourLocalR3NecK I agree.

[@Toya972]

That’s right. Banjo West African origin

[@gtgargon]

goes further back and to his original continent.

[@Banana_Pony]

And Blues, and rocn and roll,...

[@NathanBonsal]

To those people calling this man an Uncle Tom, I would say that singing, resurrecting the instruments of the slaves, and demonstrating that all of those people who suffered under slavery were people, with art and culture and songs, is NOT a disservice to them. It makes them real, so mankind can realize the evils of the past and never repeat them. To see a man with different skin from your own allows you to believe he does not suffer as you would. But when you hear his words, listen to what his instrument sounded like and how he used it to sing about his life, you can no longer persist in that safe delusion of difference. We are the same, and that realization helps people to understand the evils of the things men do to one another.

[@nerdsta23]

That was beautiful dude.

[@undisclosedcode]

nerdsta23 I agree.

[@Shayshaleen]

Bravo

[@spacehopper7]

I hate to say it, but since we signed over so much control to the banking sector we're all slaves now ...

[@NathanBonsal]

Not even remotely the same thing. You see, when you have a child, nobody makes your child work the field at the age of 3. Nobody will sell your child to the farm next door. Nobody will sell your wife to a stranger at auction. Nobody can beat you for leaving your home and going somewhere else. Nobody rapes your wife because she's their property. So, it's KIND OF different.

[@tim3tRav3l3RR60]

Appreciate this brother. This is our roots and we cannot forget it. It is what made us! Culture!

[@Kasino80]

I fucking love old timey mountain style music. So raw. It's like listening to the earth itself.

[@sethwilson970]

This is actually plantation (slave) style

[@Africa1000]

I didn't realise that the Deep South was particularly mountainous. I must have missed them all!

[@uncommonsensewithpastormar2913]

To be fair, mountain music and plantation music are often hard to distinguish.

[@Axecapoeiracomoxvalley]

@@sethwilson970 to be fair, many a southern slave escaped to freedom in the mountains 😉

[@RPM1776]

@@Africa1000 he's talking about the Appalachian mountains

[@loilt5091]

Beautiful👍🏻 The banjo came from Africa 🌍 🇨🇦

[@AnnointedGamer]

Are you kidding me lmao!!!!

[@loilt5091]

@@AnnointedGamer Homework time…that’s right, it came from Music City, Appalachia or the Ozarks 🤠 🇨🇦

[@AnnointedGamer]

@@loilt5091 nope. The only reason its attributed to African heritage was because they had an instrument that used animal skin. I love how all of a sudden africans were the real Egyptians, Moors, and True Israelites, invented everything but didn’t even know what a wheel was before being brought to the new world. Lmao.

[@AnnointedGamer]

@@loilt5091 what part of Africa is Ozark in btw?????

[@AnnointedGamer]

@@loilt5091 banjos were inspired by the mandolin and other chinese and japanese cultures prior to what you see on todays blackwashed internet.

[@KerringtonF]

Glad to see someone who looks like me also play the banjo. Thank you for such a beautiful piece, instrumentally and vocally.

[@MrDeaconEarl]

There are a lot of us. More than you would think.

[@siggesaltens2663]

do not discriminate. Be nice.

[@MrDeaconEarl]

@@siggesaltens2663 Who is discriminating?

[@randalclarke5487]

@@MrDeaconEarl I know right??? Wtf???

[@randalclarke5487]

@@MrDeaconEarl right on... it's the media that wants to put everyone in boxes and "ethnic groups" leave us alone, we all get along and take care of one another. Peace to y'all

[@shryve]

This what the Blues, jazz, R & B and Rack Music is built apon...

[@StudebakerHawk57]

I've been playing 3-finger (Bluegrass) and old-time clawhammer banjo for over 40 years now but I never had the guts to strike out on a fretless gourd banjo. You have to be a VERY competent musician to make one of those sound good and Cedric truly excels in that department. Thanks for posting that gem, Cedric!

[@richardphilpott1225]

he treats his flies alright....that's why they never bite!

[@FREEDMEN]

This is great! This is that Freedmen sound that undergirds many music genre's today! FIRE!

[@curtislong6806]

Man this is some of the greatest music I've ever heard. It sounds pure and authentic

[@heathersmith951]

Wow ! I didn't know musicians this good still existed. What a pure talent. This Cedric fellow is so wonderful to share his gifts with us.

[@beastotheeast]

Check out George Gibson, Clifton Hicks, Matt Kinman and John Haywood. Incredible musicians...

[@Guywithcrazyideas]

I love the sounds of that banjo.

[@Skatelifefool]

That's not such a crazy idea.

[@RedPrince56]

Wait a Normal comment from you WTF!

[@Guywithcrazyideas]

Sonnie Presley - I was sober for a couple hours

[@mightymall88]

Akonting is the instruments actual name

[@grason9418]

I transcribed the lyrics for a song analysis I'm going to do. Thank you Cedric Watson for showing me beautiful music like this. Here are the lyrics for those interested: Oh, go dig a hole in the meadow Go dig a hole in the ground Go dig a hole in the meadow And let me lay darlin’ Cori down The last time I saw darlin’ Cori At the edge of the deep blue sea Forty-four around her And a banjo on her knee Wake up, wake up darlin’ Cori How can you sleep so sound? Revenue officers are coming He's gonna burn your still house down Go way, go way darlin’ Cori And bring to me my gun I ain't no man for trouble But trouble has just begun I ain't no man for trouble But I'll die before i run The last time I saw darlin’ Cori Had a forty-four in her hand I killed that revenue officer If he leaves here with my man It crossed the deep blue ocean It crossed the deep blue sea Bring to me darlin’ Cori Wherever she may be Go way, go way darlin’ Cori Which your hanging around my bed The whisky done ruined my body Pretty women gon’ ruin my head

[@JacobvsRex]

This is probably my favorite version of this song that I know of...I keep coming back to it.

[@jedgarren2901]

This is AMAZING This man is SO talented, as a musician, I am blown away

[@catography4164]

As few may know, rhe banjo originated in west africa. So hear a black voice behind the banjo is the best thing running right now. I love it.

[@starshepherd5719]

CEDRIC MY MAN, SIMPLE...PURE AND RIGHTEOUS AS THE EARTH. B banjo bob.

[@geoffstockton]

This gives me chills. Absolutely beautiful work, man.

[@pelumaad331]

Nicely done, brother.......the ancestral spirits must be pleased.

[@indianmilks773]

brings back old music 👩🏿‍🌾

[@freyjastear244]

I'm learning the banjo because of you!! Inspiration. I'm 44 and excited about it!!! Keep on pickin, man.

[@flyhayst]

Just stumbled on this video, recommended to me by KZbin. Wish this fella was still making music videos.

[@zackkurowski4724]

He still plays regularly in Lafayette Louisiana

[@SONOFZIONSOUTH]

This is pure history, thanks for showing the truth of where the music comes from!!

[@ftk_ocean_behelit3947]

I listen to this everyday since I found it. Thanks for sharing.

[@Chantmagick]

Just love it, Cedric. The 19th century was a very difficult time for black folks so it makes sense that the string instruments and stringed instrument music from this era have largely been shunned by black folks in the second half of the 20th century up til now. I think it takes a lot of courage to explore the works from this era. You, The Carolina Chocolate Drops and Rhiannon Giddens are trailblazers. Not an easy place to be. Thank you for learning and sharing your rendition of this tune. Deeply appreciated.

[@keeganbluegrass]

love the CCD too, great way to explore roots of music like blues and jazz

[@brendanlowther6296]

Please come to Australia, love your work mate

[@kitsiewr]

Or we can all just appreciate a wonderful and authentic rendition of a great old-time song by a great musician who nails it !

[@harpcomm]

Fantastic rendition. I'd only heard Pete Seeger's but how superb to watch Cedric's playing and singing. More verses too. Just great!

[@SoldierNoses]

DUDE. This is dope. That gourd sounds amazing.

[@bramskilove]

Thank you sir, beautiful! Just a strange coincidence I guess that bluegrass player Doc WATSON also does a rendition of this song on one of his records (The Doc Watson Family 1994).

[@Paxseko]

I LOVE the mellow sound of a gourd banjo. So much nicer than the twanginess of the modern banjo. No wonder country and bluegrass went that way stylistically with voices, too.

[@craniifer]

I love both. The banjo is awesome regardless.

[@about2mount]

There is a place a musicians goes within and plays that reaches deep inside. Bringing out a natural heart felt side to highs and lows in life. Music is just that,, The Expression Of Self. It's not taught or learned it just comes out. You pass your feelings on to others and this is what truly makes a musician stand out above others. You standing out there.

[@MrSteveo0088]

I love this bluegrass music. Real music.... I can't stand most music today... This is great. Thank you for sharing.

[@keeganbluegrass]

not bluegrass music, this would be old time folk. bluegrass is always preformed with a band and almost exclusivly with 3 finger style banjo on a resenator banjo

[@YourLocalR3NecK]

Hell I know this is half a decade late, but man I could not agree more! As many would have thought, modern music is even worse nowadays. Nothing but autotune and a bunch of entitled rich fucks singing about immoral shit. The good music (like bluegrass and real country and folk) is timeless. Us folks who enjoy real music will never stop listening to it nor stop playing, and then we pass it down through the generations so it will be enjoyed for all time.

[@AugustusLook-l2s]

Downeast, Maine. Thank you for sharing. It's so cold here. Thank you for warmth, cuz.🙏✌️♥️👊

[@ShantyTones]

Dear GOD That Was GREAT!!!!!!......The Best...Most Raw...Most Soulful Version Of Darlin Cory I Have Ever Heard Man.....Just Fuckin GREAT Man.............

[@nothomelessonyoutube]

I recently decided I want to play banjo. Before I do anything I research it a little bit. Start with its source, work my way up to modern day then start. I had no idea the banjo had an Africa/ Caribbean roots. I figured I would be learning all about how the Appalachians music was created. It was incredibly interesting to learn of the African roots of the instruments I will play to one day attract my wife.

[@RavenRaven-se6lr]

That’s folk music. Most decent music tells a story. Thanks for letting me in on your journey 👍.

[@citizen1114]

I love 'Mountain Music'...this is great.

[@JustinRothberg]

Wonderful! It's nice to see someone playing a gourd banjo clawhamner style. The original way it was created! In Africa. It's a Shane people don't know the history of the instrument but yes people.... The banjo is from Africa.

[@robertlussier2944]

I know it's been a while, but this news story from Jamaica just came out today, about Jeff Menzies, traditional banjo maker and historian in Jamaica. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIilc2eLirp_nq8

[@The_13th_Hussar]

The predecessor instruments to Banjos can be traced to Africa however many key elements that seperate say a Kora from a Banjo such as tuning pegs or the fingerboard style came from European instruments, the earliest origins of what we could call Banjos are from slaves in the Caribbean.

[@kalwallingford7039]

@@The_13th_Hussar this ole Kang ain't gonna listen to you, silly. Better put him in his place

[@Babasunship]

@@The_13th_Hussar I agree in part, but the early Banjo called the Banjar derived from the African instrument called the Akonting. The Akonting is the folk lute of the Jola people, found in Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. The akonting is made with a long bamboo neck called a bangoe. The material for the neck, called ban julo in the Mandinka language, again gives Banjul. In this interpretation, Banjul became a sort of eponym for the Akonting as it crossed the Atlantic.

[@sylviathompson5311]

Wonderful voice! Incredible playing!

[@ladyleesutter]

Absolutely terrific. Gorgeous voice, smooth playing. Gives this wonderful old-timey song the justice it deserves, and what a nifty banjo. I believe that earliest banjos made from gourds.

[@HNXMedia]

Speaks to the soul.

[@jayoda2005]

This makes me wanna get a gourd banjo.

[@UncommonEyes]

❤gourd banjo and player

[@massmanute]

Beautiful sound from that gourd banjo!

[@thomashumphries3519]

Everytime Iisten...its like I have just discovered the song..been going on numerous years and numerous listens

[@paulbienek601]

Ay up Mr. Watson that's about as good as it gets! first time I heard this was by the late great Derrol Addams...all hail I could listen to you all day to, love to pick a few tunes with you but tis a mighty 6000 mile swim across the pond...keep picking dude!

[@gxtmfa]

That’s one of the sweetest sounds I’ve heard

[@antiquelucasgonze]

Some things I loved about this - The relaxed swing of your banjo playing. The environmental sound. Crickets? Nice filming. Good angle and light.

[@franksabatino7576]

Thanks Cedric. The heart of the blues is in your music.

[@BFDT-4]

I felt as if I had passed through a time portal, until I saw the Weber grill in the background! ;) A wonderful rendition, and at the end, those three profound chords! Wow.

[@stevehurl298]

Nice tone, and I love these minor-key ballads.

[@SteveGraves10]

Outstanding. I think I'll share this with my college classes.

[@rpeek]

That's awesome..

[@yahboialan]

Thats beautiful

[@terilynnwells9326]

clear & simply put! best comment!

[@davidthegood]

Great playing and singing, Cedric. I dig it.

[@euphoricatlast]

Original Southern Banjo music.

[@banko1808]

African American banjo music you mean? Yes

[@thetitanian5544]

@@banko1808 Black people are southern

[@deskryptic]

tight symbols and tight account name too

[@oilchange6542]

@@banko1808 Are you saying Southerners can't be black?

[@banko1808]

@@thetitanian5544 beg to differ, I am not low class like that

[@JUSTINthisworld828]

Wise man, keepin the soul alive. You bring your roots pride brother.

[@hauberin1]

Beautifully played, and a wonderful sounding instrument. Cool song, also, and I could have left it at that, were it not for folks referring to it as a "slave" song. This is a song (though collected in North Carolina, originally) of the south, via the Appalachians all day long. In that way, it so transcends color. The fact that it has been recorded by Bill Monroe and Harry Belafonte alike testifies to this. The banjo truly carries with it a tradition that spans continents. From Ireland/Scotland, to the Appalachians, down through the deep south, to the Caribbean, it is an instrument that brings folks together.

[@TheTimeMachine67]

Many cultures including some in Asia and Native American cultures have banjo-like instruments as well. It seems to be a pretty universal concept for a string instrument

[@Chris_the_Dingo]

Yes, a very ancient instrument with middle-eastern origins

[@vpertoso]

Cedric Watson thank you. You are better than good. You are great! Keep sing'n and pick'n.

[@KeriAnnBanjo]

This is one of my favorite old banjo tunes, your cover is beautiful!

[@bobconnor1210]

Outstanding. Keep Old Time Country Music alive and well. The genre knows no color and it shines in the music of Leadbelly and others whose recordings we are very fortunate to have and enjoy.

[@GorillaWithAPhone]

Country Music has black roots.

[@kataisa3]

American bluegrass soul music! thanks for posting that excellent video.

[@milliejohnson5782]

Love the banjo and this old song

[@jamho6653]

Dark and beautiful. The sound of your gourd banjo creates a better picture than any movie director could hope to do. Thank you for sharing your music with us, sir.

[@ripsnortinroy]

Like hearing this song for the first time again!

[@a-n-d-r-e-w-k]

I love this kind of music.

[@roogalater]

You can hear the roots of blues music and hence all the rock music of today in these old songs of the disenfranchised. The music of the slave and the sharecropper. It's the only joy they had in life.

[@brotherbroseph1416]

cedric, I play fiddle. If I lived in the south, I'd love to lay some music down with you man. You got a great sound! Keep that traditional sound alive man!

[@Sparklfoot]

What a great song and the gourd banjo is very nicely made, really happy to see and hear you! People have been making musical instruments out of gourds since shortly after time began. Appreciating your channel.

[@SquirrelsForAll]

Beautifully performed and the sound from the banjo is absolutely wonderful. Thank you for creating and sharing.

[@KushaDwipa]

Beautiful and authentic America.

[@jerrygarcia9244]

This is just amazing. Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia led me here. I am now a fan. Merry Christmas.

[@RamenNoodlez258]

(~):}

[@paulbcote]

Never listened to all the words until now. Very trippy imagery. Thanks for the clear rendition.

[@Kirschkuchen18]

dude you are awesome, thats really deep in the blues *****

[@nathanielrossi9659]

Hearing comments of people calling him a uncle tom. I really don't get it this man is just chillin playin his tunes.

[@rogerjuddmusic6798]

Thanks for posting, Cedric...I was searching for a good bluesey version of this tune, and your version is so much more than I was expecting to find...fantastic !

[@andyman1532]

Really appreciate listening to your music up here in the Green Mountains of Vermont - thankful for KZbin, and thanks for posting.

[@AlexCebe]

Raw and I enjoy it . Thank you , Cedric . Greetings from Brazil .

[@nicolecardinale6906]

I love listening to this, so pure

[@guywolff]

Classy playing and great singing Cedric .. Great great stuff. Thanks for this , Yours guy

[@edwardharold5091]

One of my favorite songs. He has a good voice and knows how to use it and he demonstrated talent on that instrument. Gotta be somewhere in the Appalachians. Notice the RR tracks in the background.

[@mdhf]

10 poor souls, afflicted some sort of neuromuscular disease, have accidentally clicked thumbs down.

[@josep9016]

lmao

[@elizabethtowle7331]

Thoughts & Prayers to them 😂

[@ryanr1945]

9 years, youtube was a different country back then.

[@davidsims1329]

Great old time music. Great job Cedric.

[@Gimmer3]

This is so wonderful, thanks Cedric for bringing this music alive.

[@anthonywalker8144]

Great song, Mr. Watson sounds great a well and I luv the gourd banjo. Wonder, has Mr. Watson ever joined forces with the CC drops.

[@WalterKerr]

Thank you Cedric, I really enjoyed that. Well played and very well sung.

[@janicereid5238]

this is absolutely divine.

[@tastas3880]

Just picked mine up cause ever time I hear you play the kettle gourd, get my tears too flood my eyes. The art behind the African culture is beautiful and I'm so proud to be apart of the dysfunctional 2020 . AMD cant wait to let the ghost around me hear me playing it... I'm a habachi chef from va now working in wa , I wanna play that molly dear you play so through up lesson if u can

[@capt.dennis2081]

Diggin it! Thank ya for that Mr. Watson.

[@MrDanoconnor]

Excellent Performance.... Beautiful Banjo , Great Song.... Godspeed, DanO'

[@Bahruse]

Banjo playing was great with singing. Thanks for posting.

[@bill10140]

Great Job Cedric. One of the best I've heard. Put more stuff on here. I love it.

[@DonChingaso]

Beautiful! 🙏🏽💙🙏🏽

[@williamlane6124]

7 people have no FUCKING CLUE what real music is. Unbelievable. Mr Watson, you are the next national treasure.

[@BrongaeneGriffin]

Instantly brings me to tears.

[@alecsbiggestfan]

Best version I've found all around. Very well done.

[@kevinbrown1073]

I've had that song stuck in my head for a while now! love it!

[@ThatSuzanneSchmid]

Just great!

[@Noscrubjections]

i wanna play banjo like you do one day

[@landonthomass]

I think you should go for it!