Give Me the Banjo Page #3

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APPROPRIATION, EXPLOITATION --

ALL OF THE THINGS THAT RUN

COUNTER TO WHAT WE LOVE

ALL OF THE THINGS THAT RUN

COUNTER TO WHAT WE LOVE

ABOUT THE BANJO.

WE'RE AT A POINT IN OUR

UNDERSTANDING OF THE HISTORY OF

THIS INSTRUMENT THAT IT'S NO

LONGER ACCEPTABLE TO PRETEND

THESE OTHER THINGS DON'T EXIST.

[ ORCHESTRA PLAYS ]

Male chorus:
IN THE EVENING

BY THE MOONLIGHT...

THE MINSTREL STAGE WAS

LIKE GOING TO THE MOVIES TODAY.

I MEAN, IT WAS THE MOST POPULAR

FORM OF ENTERTAINMEN FROM ROUGHLY 1830 UNTIL

THE END OF THE CENTURY

THAN ANY OTHER ENTERTAINMEN IN THE WORLD.

BECAUSE IT WAS SO POPULAR,

ALL OF THAT WAS A PAR OF THIS CARICATURE

ALL OF THAT WAS A PAR OF THIS CARICATURE

THAT BEGAN AS A REALISTIC WAY

OF THIS CARICATURE

THAT BEGAN AS A REALISTIC WAY

OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND

THAT BEGAN AS A REALISTIC WAY

OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND

THE BLACK COMMUNITY,

OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND

THE BLACK COMMUNITY,

BUT SHORTLY,

THE BLACK COMMUNITY,

BUT SHORTLY,

BECAME A WAY OF DEGRADING

BUT SHORTLY,

BECAME A WAY OF DEGRADING

AND BECAME A WAY OF TRIVIALIZING

BECAME A WAY OF DEGRADING

AND BECAME A WAY OF TRIVIALIZING

THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

AND BECAME A WAY OF TRIVIALIZING

THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

THE BANJO BECAME THE INSTRUMEN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

THE BANJO BECAME THE INSTRUMEN THAT WAS THE IMAGE

THE BANJO BECAME THE INSTRUMEN THAT WAS THE IMAGE

OF SLAVE LIFE.

IF YOU TAKE AN:

AFRICAN-AMERICAN INSTRUMENT,

WITH ITS AFRICAN ROOTS,

AFRICAN-AMERICAN INSTRUMENT,

WITH ITS AFRICAN ROOTS,

AND YOU ADD TO I WITH ITS AFRICAN ROOTS,

AND YOU ADD TO I THE CELTIC MUSICAL TRADITIONS

AND YOU ADD TO I THE CELTIC MUSICAL TRADITIONS

AND WESTERN EUROPEAN

THE CELTIC MUSICAL TRADITIONS

AND WESTERN EUROPEAN

MUSICAL TRADITIONS

AND WESTERN EUROPEAN

MUSICAL TRADITIONS

THAT THESE WHITE PERFORMERS HAD,

MUSICAL TRADITIONS

THAT THESE WHITE PERFORMERS HAD,

WHAT YOU WIND UP WITH

THAT THESE WHITE PERFORMERS HAD,

WHAT YOU WIND UP WITH

IS SOMETHING THAT'S TOTALLY NEW,

WHAT YOU WIND UP WITH

IS SOMETHING THAT'S TOTALLY NEW,

THAT COME TOGETHER

IS SOMETHING THAT'S TOTALLY NEW,

THAT COME TOGETHER

FOR THE FIRST TIME AND MAKE

THAT COME TOGETHER

FOR THE FIRST TIME AND MAKE

SOMETHING TRULY AMERICAN.

THE STAGE IS SET VERY SIMPLY

WHEN WE SEE THE TWO CULTURES

COMING TOGETHER.

IT DIDN'T TAKE ENTERTAINERS

LONG TO FIGURE OUT, WOW, IF I GO

OUT TO THE CIRCUS OR IF I GO

DOWN TO MY LOCAL MUSIC PARLOR

AND I PLAY THIS BANJO,

WHICH NO ONE'S EVER SEEN

A WHITE MAN PLAY BEFORE,

AND I PLAY THIS MUSIC THAT NO

ONE'S EVER HEARD BEFORE,

I WILL MAKE MONEY.

Martin:
JOEL WALKER SWEENEY

BROUGHT THE BANJO TO CENTER

STAGE OF AMERICAN CULTURE.

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