Black Appalachia: When the Banjo Climbed the Mountains

The banjo may sound inseparable from Appalachia, but its story began an ocean away. In this Echoes & Footprints Showcase, we trace the instrument’s journey from its West African relatives through the Caribbean and American South and into the Appalachian Mountains.

Along the way, African musical traditions met European fiddle tunes, ballads, and mountain communities, helping shape a distinctly American sound. We explore the often-overlooked contributions of Black Appalachians and musicians such as Arnold Shultz, Lesley Riddle, and DeFord Bailey—and the musical conversations that helped lay the groundwork for bluegrass.

The mountains didn’t create the banjo. They welcomed it.

The Beat remembers. The Beat is the History.

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