Who are my favorite banjo players:

This list is not complete. Tomorrow I could hear someone who should be on this list. And if I'm familiar with the music of someone who isn't on this list, it doesn't mean they shouldn't be on it. I make mistakes on occasion and forget as well. I will try to mention anything that blows me away. Thanks to John Mumford, Jack Convery, and Jim Riley for providing me with the means to hear the people on this list.

I play a plectrum banjo but I listen to many tenor banjoists. Here are my favorite banjoists:

Tenor Players:

Jim Riley
I am thankful that I live close to a great banjo player and am grateful to Jim for taking me as a student. Jim's that wonderful banjo player you hear playing with the Gangplank Ragtime Band on Jazz Banjo Radio. He wrote a wonderful book called "Riley's Routines for better Banjo." He has taught me a lot, not only banjo licks but history too. He and Buddy Wachter have been friends for a long time and play together but Jim has played with other greats too, including Al Smith.

Harry Reser
Harry Reser may be the best banjo player ever. Reser's jazz chops had a technical flair that challenged all other technical players. He also conducted and arranged bands and orchestras, and wrote some of the most memorable jazz banjo songs in existence.

Ted Painter
I don't know much about Ted Painter, except that he sounds like a cross between Eddie Peabody and Harry Reser. Painter's recording of Bye Bye Blues blew me away when I first heard it. Great technical skill with excitement that doesn't require seeing it in order to feel it.

Johnny Ford
Johnny Ford was not the best jazz banjo player I ever heard, but his renditions of showtunes are hard to match because he could put emotion into every note better than anyone I ever heard. Ford may be my first banjo hero and I was a little broken hearted when I figured out he was a tenor player (and that he died.) He is definitely a great inspiration to me and I hope his tenor style influences my plectrum playing style.

Tim Allan
Tim's recordings are high quality and show off the tremendous skill that Allan posseses. He sells his recordings and has song books for most of his recordings as well. His playing style is smooth, like Dave Marty.

Johnny Baier
I was mostly familiar with Johnny accompanying Buddy Wachter but I heard some live songs that blew me away. He is a great promoter of jazz banjo with his work at FIGA and the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame.

Plectrum Players:

Buddy Wachter
I think Buddy Wachter is the best living jazz banjo player today. He plays the "Perry Bechtel Style" to perfection. Buddy plays many classical compositions and has performed a show at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Perry Bechtel
There are two styles of plectrum playing that are referred as standards. The "Perry Bechtel" style is one of them. One can listen to a plectrum player and determine which style he or she is playing. Bechtel devised many right-hand techniques that show off his style.

Eddie Peabody
Eddie Peabody had a distictive style that people recognized and admired. This style is mostly chord melodies with emphasis on triplets throughout each song. Eddie was a great showman and could play many instruments.

Brad Roth
While I believe no one could play a "Perry Bechtel" style better today than Buddy Wachter, I also believe that no one can play a better "Eddie Peabody" style today than Brad Roth. Brad played professionally as a teenager and played with Doug Mattocks in a group called Banjomania. Brad's music is played regularly on Jack Convery's "Banjo Jazz Radio."

Al Smith
Al died at around the same day I was asked to learn how to play the banjo. He is from Newark, Delaware, which is close to where I grew up and where my family still lives. I wish I could have met him. Al had a wonderful technical style and a distinctive sound that helps me tell him apart from other banjoists.

Special mentions:

I have to mention these names. I've taken advantage of their contributions to the jazz banjo world and I want to thank them for everything they have offered.

Jack Convery
I recommend Jack's "Banjo Jazz Radio" and website. Jack has also made solo recordings, as well as with the San Francisco Medicine Ball with Dave Marty.

John Mumford
I recommend John's "Jazz Banjo Magazine," "Jazz Banjo Radio," and "Banjomania Radio." I use them to help learn about other banjo players and the songs from the jazz banjo era. Both Jack and John, along with Jim Riley, have introduced me to the wonderful music that inspires me to play and learn.

Don Van Palta
I started learning how to play the plectrum banjo using Don's lesson videos and books. His song arrangements are fantastic! He has a wonderful past playing at the original Shakey's and with Mickie Finn.

David Frey
Dave's wonderful plectrum banjo books (and accompanying CD) were given to me me when I strted to learn how to play. Although I am taking lessons, volume two is a primary reference to many of the songs I'm learning. The combo is great for learning and I don't recommend one without the other. Get the CD too. Also, go to Dave's website for all the learning material you might need.

Don Stevison
I have Don's plectrum banjo book as well and I have to thank him for it. When I was first learning I used his book along with Don Van Palta's lessons and videos to help learn more songs. I've read Don's book throughout and I highly recommend it.

Bill Miller
I've always liked Bill's website. There are many resources there and like me, he likes to record himself along with Sunny on vocals. For beginners, he has songs and charts for tenor and plectrum banjos.