Top Banjo Players Show Their Amazing Skills

[@noel3422]

Damm it, to hear Roy Clark play any stringed instrument is a treat, that man and his talent is missed so sorley even though i am a 70's to 80's rocker by me never will i forget the music this man pioneered, what a legend.

[@richardhayman4868]

I'mmma pickin'...

[@garypaquin9571]

God bless Earl. He clearly has the best tone and feel for the music and the instrument.

[@theforrester2780]

He really created the music

[@darrinpennington]

He popularized the three finger bluegrass style

[@timothywilliams4089]

I was fortunate enough to see Jens Kruger last year in the north of England, he mesmerised the audience with several hours of the best quality playing imaginable, covering several genres. His playing is outof this world!

[@MarkMcCluney]

Was this at the the Eagle Music store? Jens is a very remarkable musician and a very decent man.

[@timothywilliams4089]

@@MarkMcCluney Yes, the Eagle Music Store last year, we chatted with me for a while, and told me he'd played at the Grand Ole Opry with Earl Scruggs, aged 19!

[@Snarkapotamus]

He is pretty awesome to watch...

[@scray00]

Funny I’d never put England and bluegrass together. May sound ignorant of me so I apologize. Of course I know we wouldn’t have it if it wasn’t for the British chasing the Scot’s and Irish out of their countries and over here and I personally can’t thank them enough and in a weird way Britain too. just didn’t know our USA bluegrass got love from across the pond ❤

[@timothywilliams4089]

@@scray00 It all started for me with the 'Beverly Hillbillies', had some banjo lessons and never looked back; we have some great bands here. Visiting Nashville very soon.

[@garysippin]

Jim Mills, JD Crowe, Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck, Sonny Osborn, Ron Stewart...These guys pick pretty good too!

[@WorldBluegrassDay]

They do but they trigger all kinds of copyright notices and the videos get blocked.

[@mandovapehater6988]

@@WorldBluegrassDay there should be no list at all without these people mentioned. No Baucom, vestal.... C'mon man!

[@willsullivan7074]

Not showing Bela Fleck is a glaring omission.

[@ewokwarrior2656]

Seems to be mostly the van halens of bluegrass and melodic bluegrass. No Stringbean, no Grandpa Jones and no Pete Seeger. No celtic Irish tenor banjo players. But these folks are to Country and Americana as what speed metal is to metal.

[@TheyStoleMyHandleAgain]

Truth.

[@02hreblue30]

barf

[@damirzanne]

Bela doesn’t have the body Mean Marry does , that’s why

[@francoisbedard7394]

@@damirzanne I don't know Bela,but Mary has AMAZING body.😉💕💕

[@goldilocks913]

Good to see mean Mary in there, vastly underrated player! ✌️

[@gilliamjacob]

She did an amateur job in this clip, nevertheless.

[@jamesglenn520]

They cut the clip before she sped up! They didn't want to show her true talent 😔 She also has the voice of an angel and body of a Goddess!!

[@damirzanne]

@@jamesglenn520 yes, the shape of the body is very important when it comes to a banjo playing

[@jamesglenn520]

@@damirzanne Absolutely 😆 🤣

[@garypollard9770]

@@damirzanne it is absolutely very enjoyable to watch when the banjo player is playing! She is much more enjoyable to watch then say a Roy Clark!

[@teabaggervance8]

Roy Clark could play the strings off of damn near anything. Hot, hot picker.

[@redkellyre6568]

That guy could play a set of tooth picks, damn

[@tedmulthauf7434]

I heard he once played a kite.

[@garypollard9770]

I have yet to see any instrument that ole Roy can’t play!

[@theroller5673]

I would put him up against ANY of the greatest guitarist. He has to be in the top 5 of all time in any genre.

[@rgrif777]

Roy could play everything well.

[@benjamin-papa]

Roy Clark, amazing guitarist

[@Bikerguy5845]

Mean Mary lit it on fire and smoked it!!!!! They were all great!!!!

[@irvinslagter8298]

Yep, and she was cut off before she REALLY got going!!

[@aliwhitwell]

Personally I don't think there can ever be a best banjo player. There are certainly some outstanding players which many have mentioned but all have different styles of playing. Depends on your personal taste as almost all are technically expert players. It shouldn't be a competition. Just enjoy everyone's playing! :-)

[@joshcrane88]

If no one was competitive people would have hit the peak of what was possible a long time ago .......but because were competitive we keep pushing ourselves to the next level to find out what is possible on these instruments

[@botkill3635]

The title doesn’t say best it says top

[@jackthebassman1]

Very well said

[@Doo_Doo_Patrol]

@@botkill3635 Top of what?

[@Doo_Doo_Patrol]

I see that sometimes describing guitar players. It is nonsense.

[@johnbouwens2024]

Mean marry is the bomb.... Look up iron horse... Mean marry fast picking banjo iron horse video... 7 years old .... Im a big fan ..

[@mikepetrosky6227]

Don Reno, JD Crowe, Terry Baucom, Jim Mills, "The Chief" Osborne, Jesse Baker, Kenny Ingram, Kristin Scott, Alan Munde, Bill Keith . . . Yeah, these names could replace alot on the list given . . .

[@symphonyfarm2009]

Bela Fleck......(not because of the jazz) he plays that nutty thumb pick tripplet!

[@sandraduncan708]

Also the late great String Bean the best claw hammer picked that ever played

[@garymartin1040]

Doug Dillard

[@randallvaughn9318]

Amen Brother.

[@rogerreed6235]

Raymond Fairchild

[@gospeltruthtv]

I love bluegrass! Whoever comprised this list was smokin’ some other grass!

[@alanlutz6275]

I agree completely! No Grandpa Jones or Stringbean.

[@Grimeyhoob]

I want to fart on someone’s face while playing a banjo

[@CorneliusJC]

@@Grimeyhoob very cool

[@ryandaniel5964]

@@Grimeyhoob i already did that too you at auntie Baker's house.. You said it smelled like a onion orsomething i forget

[@zchrygrn1988]

Amen! The first 2 on the video are the only ones here that I could understand. And I might throw Dr. Ralph in too just for being one of the pioneers lol

[@mikeheroy6077]

I would add people like Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick, Rhiannon Giddens, John McEuen from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Chris Coole, and Mike Munford. Jens Kruger has an engineering mind and his technique is incredible. Bela is a fabulous technician and great composer. Alison Brown is brilliant and a Harvard graduate. She owns one of John Hartford’s banjo and designed the Julia Belle for a Greg Deering. Oh, Ashley Campbell is a pretty good picker, too.

[@tomgoldsmith4982]

And let’s us not forget Steve Martin!

[@dolam]

And Ricky Skaggs too 🫡

[@mikedegregorio9113]

No Bela Fleck?? He is to the Banjo, what Pavarotti is to opera!

[@cgordon9677]

My Bluegrass Heart is phenomenal. Beautifully showcases his spread of talent.

[@thomasdenoyelles1784]

Outstanding, extremely enjoyable. Certainly takes your mind off the everyday political chaos. Real breath of fresh air

[@KingVormster]

My man 💪

[@kadilapi3440]

C'est toi le chaos politique

[@cptoscar]

True bro! How to play this thing? I'm mean with my Les Paul but never even seen a banjo in real life but it sound fucking awsome.

[@mosquito6282]

Thanks for reminding us while saying it takes us away. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@projecthandymanllc3128]

My wife sure doesn’t think so. But I do!

[@hangblague]

There's something flawless about Earl's timing that the others don't quite match. Steve Martin comes closest.

[@showbiz765]

Steve Martin is incredible. But he’s a comedian, was that Elton John on fiddle?

[@calebbaird5982]

Honestly had absolutely no idea Steve Martin could play a banjo like that.

[@yetigonecrazy]

Holy shit me neither! He can rock it too

[@r2371-n8e]

"men with banjos, who know how to use them"

[@coalcreeker583]

Jimmy Henley. Won the World Bluegrass Banjo Championships in Hugo Oklahoma at age 10. Started performing with Roy Clark shortly after. Sadly, passed away last year at age 56.

[@terryallen5328]

Obviously not a definitive list but all are brilliant and my selection for top of the pile would be Roy Clark.

[@robertesposito9871]

You had maybe three of the best banjo players on your list, like Scruggs, Roy Clark, and Ralph Stanley, but you were missing a few that belongs on that list, and that would be JD Crowe for one

[@oldenoughtoknowbetter6561]

JD & Bela, but I have always been impressed with Dennis Caplinger as well. How Dennis played so fast with his chubby fingers is beyond me.

[@chadfife3265]

Mean Mary definitely deserves to be top 10... she is amazing and clean

[@timothywilliams4089]

Agreed, he makes it talk, and as you say, a great chap, so helpful. He saw my’Opry T shirt and started talking and playing several Deering banjos for me; said he’d played the Opry aged 19,….,with Earl and the bluegrass boys!; some set I guess!!

[@BionicBrain2]

Where's Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, Harold Morrison, Stringbean, Grandpa Jones, Johnny Clark?

[@child_of_gaia5938]

Its a shame you missed Dave Hum from the UK he passed away but one of the best banjo players out there RIP Dave.

[@berndwinklerkerkow1733]

I also miss him playing Banjo.

[@colinkelley6493]

Yes. Fun. I am so glad you included Willow Osborne. She is that good.

[@saltysugar4259]

Alan, Bela, Tony, Ben, Bill...

[@firebird77clonefirebird89]

I was so pleased to see Mean Mary in the lineup!

[@Ultra4115_]

so glad you included Roy Clark

[@tom1959100]

Doug Dillard should've been among these....one of the best pure pickers ever.

[@jeffscott1006]

So glad that you included Mean Mary

[@michaelthornton8000]

I don't know if it was intentional but it is interesting this video is bracketed at each end, with two styles at the opposite ends of the spectrum; beginning with the most traditional style player, Earl Scruggs, the inventor of traditional three-finger bluegrass style banjo picking, and ending with the most "progressive" and technically challenging style player, Noam Pikelny.

[@austin-p3s1j]

Nice list. There are so many talented banjo players and if this video captures a person's curiosity to go down the "banjo rabbit hole", well done. Earl Scruggs started the three finger picking sound and without him, the others might not have picked up a banjo. Another picker that has contributed huge to bluegrass and inspired countless banjo players was JD Crowe. What a great instrument! Well done!

[@timevans2086]

John Hartford was always my favourite player.

[@cdjhyoung]

Glad to see Roy Clark on this list. Can you think of any other instrument musician that openly enjoyed performing the way he did? Steve Martin was a surprise choice, but not necessarily a bad one.

[@md.moinulislam9467]

Super Creative Banjo Musicians and their performances.....!

[@centerice]

Lots of comments about who is missing here. This isn't a video of the "best 9 players of all time," it is merely a montage of 9 good players.

[@r2371-n8e]

Except for Earl, who has to be on any such list and differentiated from 'good banjo players'.

[@tylerdoss2076]

Earl Scruggs should be number 1. Man can play anything with strings on it

[@tashan6969]

the same can be said about Roy Clark as well

[@billstetler6769]

Whoever made this list left out some better well known banjo Pickers

[@norternredneck]

Glad to see Mary James but forgot Stringbean

[@w.johnwiltshire2107]

people with awesome skills like this bring a tear to my eye, how wonderful to be able to entertain others.

[@sharonmurray6529]

Barney mc Kenna check him out

[@iridge1]

Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, Jim Mills, JD Crowe, Ralph Stanley, Russ Carson, Bela Fleck ,Raymond Fairchild, Don Stover, Little Roy Lewis, Norm Pickney, Allison Brown ,Sammy Shelor, Tom Adams, Richard Underwood,Max Allison, Tommy Neal, Chris Warner, and last but not least Billy Lee Cox Just to name a few.These gentlemen were all great banjo players.

[@MichaelKrisa]

You left out Ben Eldridge, Tommy Thompson and Tony Triska

[@steventhomas6483]

and Ron Block. Great list Denny and Mike!

[@michaelangelo9024]

Denny. Sir. You named quite a few that deserve to be on the greatest list. Eric Ellis is one of the 5 best today.

[@gospeltruthtv]

...and don’t forget Alan Munde! Great list

[@jimpemberton]

The video could definitely have been far longer.

[@williamgrahamiii3840]

Earl Scruggs is the best. Most of these folks are talented, but along with Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley and Roy Clark are my favorites.

[@rgrif777]

Without Earl Scruggs and his licks there may not have been anyone else. Earl was very clean in his playing like Doug Dillard. I liked Don Reno as a composer, but not as a player. Bela Fleck is very versatile. There are too many great players to say who was or is the best player though. I think Earl deserves the most credit.

[@grahamhunter4996]

Brilliant, in the 70s I had Richie Bull playing that .great.❤

[@taylorjean3561]

Little Roy Lewis doing Jubilee Chimes, America the beautiful or Dixie Breakdown, should be in this video. :)

[@michaelbarnett2527]

Amen. Little Roy is one of the best ever.

[@jamesmetzler2031]

You forgot Greg Allen, the only remaining son of bluegrass legend Red Allen. One of the best I've ever had the pleasure of hearing live.

[@zglevi972]

Ain't all in speed...soul counts too...I'll go for Mean Mary...cause depth just flows out...

[@tudormiller887]

I❤️ bluegrass. Watching from London UK 🇬🇧

[@Windpower08]

No Hartford, but someone playing a Hartford tune interesting.

[@Angel268201]

When my family and I were exiled from Communist Cuba in ‘65, one of our favorite shows was “Hee Haw”. I grew up watching Roy Clark and the bunch. ✝️🙏🏻♥️🤣😂

[@garypollard9770]

Always enjoyed String Bean and watching him play the banjo. Willow is an outstanding banjo player as is Steve Martin! Earl Scruggs is the best here because they are all playing his style, 5 string 3 finger pickin! They all can pick a banjo tho that is pretty plain!

[@alandurkin1844]

And Grandpa Jones.

[@trafficsignal101]

I came here to hear Steve Martin. I figured he had to be here. After his performance I watched the rest. Willow Osborne was awesome too!

[@Xt1000]

Earl Scruggs, JD Crowe ,Bill Emerson, Bill Knopf, Alan Munde, Sonny Osbourne, Ben Eldridge,Bill Keith, Carl Jackson, Peter Wernick, Tony Triscka, Bela Fleck, Scott Vestal, Jim Mills, Sean Moyses, Tom Adams, Gina Britt, Ned Lubereki, Don Reno,Barry Crab tree, John Mceuen, Ralph Stanley, Janet Davis, Casey Henry, Jason Skinner, Kristin Scott, Steve Dilling,Ron Block, Dave Evans, to name a few.

[@ericoswald7608]

Thanks for having Steve in this mix!

[@Dabhach1]

If I ever rob a bank, I'm going to bring a banjo player along to sit in the getaway car strumming fast while the cops are chasing us.

[@muzicman47]

Bela Fleck is the best virtuoso of them all. He can play anything; from bluegrass to Bach.

[@Snarkapotamus]

To me, he and Jens Kruger are the closest to virtuoso...

[@jakeoz4521]

So humble as well. Great show to see

[@redooz5886]

bro he sounds likes hes tuning when he plays.

[@Quigg59]

Bishop's Choice: Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, JD Crowe, Bela Fleck, Steve Dillon, Terry Baucom, Jimmy Mills, Noah Pikney, Kristin Scott Benson, Sonny Osborne, Bill Emerson and John Bullard

[@unclepacky3926]

You forgot Don reno! 🤠

[@tedmulthauf3867]

Doug Dillard

[@sportdr]

only Bobby Thompson is missing

[@Ventsolo]

Ventsolo's 10: Earl Scruggs, Tony Trischka, Noam Pikelny, Bill Keith, JD Crowe, Don Reno, Béla Fleck, Ryan Cavanaugh, and Al Munde.

[@mikelldaley9078]

sonny osbourn was in a class by himself. played with bill monroe as a kid !

[@jasondavidstapleton8337]

banjo music warms my heart

[@dolam]

So awesome. Thanks for posting. Right now I am going straight to Craig’s List to look for a banjo. This video makes me want to play.

[@williamgreenwood9151]

Great job!! I thinking about learning banjo myself, I have picked around on guitar for yrs

[@buckstarhymes]

Sleepyman Banjo .. KZbin them. 3 brothers. Absolutely unreal!!

[@michaelbarnett2527]

Dr Ralph is my personal favorite. Just love his sound. Earl is # 2. Other than them , the list is up for debate. I think they need to be ranked in the time frame they picked, and by style. Bela Fleck is extremely talented in the progressive style. Then you’ve got people like Clifton Hicks in the clawhammer style. And others like my 2 favorites in “ Scruggs style” and throw in a couple others in that style : Little Roy Lewis and Jimmy Mills .

[@Countavery]

Ralph was the best!

[@Countavery]

No John Hartford?

[@jsa7298]

I think you should have called this "banjo players on KZbin "

[@martinberger7814]

Gut gemacht Danke Bravo! 😊

[@markcox7497]

Growing up in Appalachia, I have seen hundreds of banjo players and none of these guys on this video would make the top 100 with the exception of Earl Scruggs. He makes it because of his commercial success and as a founding member of the Bluegrass Boys...He set the path for others to follow! In my opinion the finest musician I ever saw and heard play was Don Reno...Scruggs and Reno were the teachers and all those that followed were only the pupils.

[@shanedunn7475]

Your wrong, roy clark is easily top five

[@michaelbarnett2527]

Not Dr Ralph?

[@nxlsbeats4776]

Roy Clark is amazing

[@dalepritchard3335]

I follow mean Mary. She great. But then there all great on this list. Scruggs and Clark wow such talent.

[@lewiswereb8994]

Mean Mary is sweet! I met her one day in '18 and have loved her to pieces since. She signed my little 4 string for me that day, I have photo proof of that. I am sort of bummed that she went blonde. Glad to talk to another person who knows and likes her.

[@colinerikstanhouse6385]

Alot of greats left out, but that could be Another video. But Roy Clark has always been my fav. From back in the Hee Haw days in the 70s !

[@Tbone51]

I was Roy Clark at the Grand Ole Opry. He was amazing on many instruments!

[@DanielRodriguez-bu8du]

There is something about this music that I just love, my Family calls me weirdo ( in a funny not mean) for liking this type of music, as you can read my last name I am Latino and it's kind of rare to find one that likes The Banjo and Bluegrass.

[@winstonthespartan5593]

Beautiful

[@patriciawatkins9539]

You're in good company Daniel. I'm a Mexican woman who loves Bluegrass . There's something about the music that just gets deep into my soul. I've loved it since I was a little girl. I'm 64 now. Thank goodness for KZbin that we're able to enjoy the music. 🎵🎶

[@earljaydillard]

You forgot Doug Dillard!!??!!! Let any one dispute his talent try to play Hickory Hollow!!

[@maplebrook1955]

Earl Scruggs, Roy Clark and Steve Martin are a few favorites. A young player with a nice style I just learned about is Lincoln Hensley.

[@MrTarheelman75]

Jonny Mizzone should've been in the video too. That kid is amazing.

[@tripodmaster468]

Glad to see Steve Martin made it (one of the very best) but what about Stringbean, Grandpa Jones, Roni Stoneman or Buck Trent (inventor of the electric banjo)

[@commanderthorkilj.amundsen3426]

Music of course, is an art form, and it’s difficult to rate people but it is quite obvious that, though Steve Martin is a competent player, you’re delusional if you think he’s a top player.

[@garypaquin9571]

Steve is a great comedian who would like to be a legendary banjo player. He isn’t and at 75 years old he never will be. Earl is peerless except for Bela Fleck.

[@104thDIVTimberwolf]

He may only be 14, but you can't have a list like this without Johnny Mizone.

[@jamesb.9155]

Amen to that!

[@debraprice7451]

Tom Adams - 3 x IBMA Banjo player of the year. ❤

[@dlagrua]

Some really good talent here but I would include Jeremy Stephens, Kurt Stevenson, and Russ Carson. Jeremy and Kurt play with the band High Fidelity while Russ plays in Ricky Skaggs band.

[@gazzzza]

watching and commenting on a few here , as a guitar blue grass picker i see mean "mary James" as a real item hey just saying love the black skinned mid night specail

[@stephenhenion8304]

Id like to add Roger Sprung to the list as well!! From his roots in Greenwich Village in the 1950's

[@fastjag5590]

Love me some Mean Mary.

[@mobayguy]

Mean Mary plays a mean Banjo! All these folks are Blessed with great talent - AND who would have thought STEVE MARTIN !!! - Wow

[@bobbeck5866]

Earl Scruggs so far in front the rest of them cannot even see him

[@lgwappo]

1:23 they cut her off but she goes even faster in the last part. Goes by "Mean Mary."

[@jamesglenn520]

They didn't want everyone else to look bad!! 😆 She also has the voice of an Angel 😇 💗

[@formerfarmer1718]

Jens Kruger? He turns a banjo into a classical instrument.

[@stevenacord7642]

Noam and Allison Brown omg they are tops

[@thebullit2002]

Carl Jackson should be on this list!

[@Bruiser4peck1]

It's not a real Top Banjo players without Bela Fleck

[@bigwillietheb]

WHY AIN'T WENDY HOLCOMBE ON THIS LIST , SHE WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE BEST BANJO PLAYERS OF ALL TIME GOD REST HER SOUL

[@taylorjames1061]

Personally one of my favorite banjo players of all time is Grandpa Jones, but I play Scruggs style banjo. If we are talking about who is the best Scruggs style player in the world? It has to be Earl Scruggs lol because he is the only one to perfect it because he did invent the style of picking. Now I'm not saying there isn't any one who cant play Scruggs style banjo like him or play it very very well professionally, but.... Man... NO ONE plays like Earl! Lol

[@EclecticHillbilly]

As Sonny Osborne once said, Earl had the perfect right hand.

[@alandurkin1844]

And Bashful Brother Oswald, Bobby Thompson.

[@davidwyrick9282]

No list is complete without Bobby Thompson!

[@alanlutz6275]

Love the video. But I am disappointed that I didn't see Stringbean or Grandpa Jones on there.

[@JongleurJ10]

Well I enjoyed it. Wanted to hear more of some of them!

[@michaelkelly6667]

Jens Kruger, Bela fleck?

[@hughmongasass3773]

everyone is about the same, you can either roll or not

[@claycallaway4800]

Jen's Kruger, Sonny Osbourne, Charlie Cushman, Don Reno.

[@scottwiggins2093]

I have Jens Kruger's autograph on my Gibson Mastertone.

[@seancurran6727]

Those are the two I rank at the very top for technical greatness along with Alison Brown who was shown and is often overlooked.

[@Snarkapotamus]

@@scottwiggins2093 - I've actually met Jens and Uwe (his brother). Sat with them at dinner and chatted with Jens about his influences and why/how someone from Switzerland landed in the Carolinas. Nice guy and really amazing to watch play from a few feet away...

[@jackvass5298]

Apparently you never heard Jens Kruger play. He is by far the best banjo musician ever playing anything from old-time music to bluegrass to classical.

[@unakavanagh463]

Jens is amazing.

[@hawk6dm7]

I was hoping to see you include Bela Fleck. Some very strong talent there.

[@martinrich7521]

Hows the casual as lady sitting on the porch just smashing it out on the Banjo. Nek Minit top 9 , love it.

[@knoxfarm686]

I'm no expert, but Jonny Mizzone's pretty good! :-)

[@edsonrochak4997]

Só fera!!! Muito bom!!obrigado desde Brasil!!