The Banjo Guru

Of all those in contention for the title “The Banjo Player’s Banjo Player”, Allen Shelton is generally considered among the favorites.  The Reidsville, North Carolina native, who died of leukemia last November, was noted for his “bouncy” rhythmic feel and integration of a more sophisticated jazz- and pop-flavored chord voicings into a generally “straight-ahead” bluegrass approach.  Shelton wrote and recorded one of the all-time banjo “D-tuner” classics, Bending the Strings, while performing with Jim Eanes during the 1950s.  Also during his stint with Eanes, Shelton’s musically experimental bent led him to devise a banjo with foot-operated string-bending pedals, used with great effect on Eanes’ recording of Your Old Standby.

One of the most notable proponents of the archtop rather than the flathead tone ring, Shelton performed virtually his entire career with a 1950s Gibson “bowtie” RB-250.  In 1960 Shelton joined Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys, who became members of the Grand Ole Opry in 1964.  After leaving Jim and Jesse in 1966 and retiring from music for a time, Shelton recorded the 1976 album “Shelton Special”, featuring his tasteful, elegant treatment of standards such as Birth of the Blues and Sweet Georgia Brown, as well as original tunes like the title cut and Banjo Bounce.  The 1980s found Shelton back with Jim and Jesse, playing five-string Dobro™ as well as conventional bluegrass banjo.  He spent the last years of his life quietly with his family and friends, his landmark recordings continuing to influence new generations of banjo players.