These early banjos were hand made and quite primitive. However, by the end of the nineteenth century the banjo had become so popular it began to be commercially manufactured. Some of those early builders were in the northeast, not a place you would think of first. Baltimore was a singularly important city for banjo builders.
In the early twentieth century, the banjo became a “high class,” or “salon” instrument. Banjo orchestras began to form, some comprised solely of women. It morphed into a “hillbilly” instrument, a revival instrument, a jazz instrument and, today, there are folks writing classical scores for the banjo. Famous players like Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Earl Scruggs, Grand Pa Jones, Bella Fleck, and Jens Krueger have all pushed the limits of this great instrument.
