African American Banjo Players at the Library of Congress

Joe’s research guide on African American Banjo Players at the Library of Congress (LOC) was generated during his residency as a Peter Bartis intern at the American Folklife Center. The guide acts as an entry point to allow others to discover materials at the Library of Congress, especially in the American Folklife Center, about African Americans who play the banjo. It includes recordings from Appalachia, the Deep South, Mississippi Delta, and more, documenting this uniquely African American instrument. Though the focus of the guide is on the banjo, there is also material on Black fiddlers who often played nearby. It provides links to digital collections, books, articles, field recordings, and public programs related to African-American banjo music.

This guide focuses on highlighting African American banjo players within the LOC collections while excluding materials that objectify Black bodies or lack consideration for their inner lives. Therefore, it avoids resources related to blackface minstrelsy and prioritizes items that center on the lived experiences of Black individuals. Joe’s highlighting of Black lives within the archive invites scholars to turn a critical eye towards the documentation and interpretation of Black banjo-playing bodies. Through a deep engagement with the implicit pretenses, the guide underlines what work still needs to be done to support these vibrant, living traditions.

Read more about this guide through Joe’s blog post in Folklife Today.