Irving Lerner, Willard Van DykeTo Hear Your Banjo Play (1947)

Presents the origin of the banjo, the development of southern folk music and its influence upon Americans. Pete Seeger plays his banjo and narrates the story.


This item is part of the collection: A/V Geeks

Director: Irving Lerner, Willard Van Dyke
Audio/Visual: sound, b&w
Keywords: American folk music

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: miguelburihan - - December 19, 2007
Subject: do Brasil

Sempre gostei de folk music, mas este video esta demais de bom, PARABÉNS

Reviewer: pixielady - - August 6, 2007
Subject: Thank you. Pete Seeger.

This man's voice and spirit has made him a legend and the minstrel of the the 20th century. Wherever you hear his banjo and guitar picking you hear joy, truth and history.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - January 29, 2006
Subject: I Feel like Harry Smith Now.

Very nice overview of Folk music at the time, hosted by acclaimed banjoer Pete Seeger. Although I¡¯m not much of a folk music nut, I can imagine people who are just going crazy over this, because this has some fantastic music and types of music in the folk rendition. I wonder though, who this was made for. The reason I ask this, is I wonder if this was made for the younger kids to keep them from all that swing music and from hanging out in the soda shops all day listening to the jukebox. The kids here look awfully square (and they¡¯ve got the dance to prove it) But get over that though, and you¡¯re in Folk Music heaven.

Reviewer: vrteach - - September 11, 2005
Subject: Wonderfull...Thanks

Just watched the mpeg2 version, and it is great. Fine views of the "back to the simpler past" movement of American folk music before, just before, it was discovered by the main stream. It gives a glimpse into what the hootenannies were really like in the folk underground in New York of the 1950s before the big media companies took over the name.

Reviewer: foxhunt - - August 13, 2005
Subject: A Slice of Folk History.

What a unique picture of America this shows. Captured on black and white film of how music was, before the refinement through comercialisation got its sticky fingers involved and removed the very raw edge that made it music of the people for the people.

Although some of it is stagemanaged (and there is nothing wrong with that)clips of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, Step Dancing and Square Dancing make this a wonderful slice of Folk History in America.

Reviewer: akb - - May 17, 2005
Subject: i'm a sucker for good banjo playing ...

... and this video did me well. A chronicle of the folk revival from some of its legends, Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Alan Lomax.