published on
Flint Banjo Club
What started as a handful of selfdescribed “banjo nuts” getting together to play after a rough winter in 1967 became a band with more than 50 members
The Flint Banjo Club, is considered one of the best banjo and old time music clubs in the United States. They established a tradition in holding their annual Banjorama, the FBCs primary fundraiser
The club was founded in April 1967 by six banjo enthusiasts from Flint Michigan back when American manufacturing was prosperous and thriving union jobs allowed for workers to retire with pensions, healthcare, and social stability
“…no doubt as a result of cabin fever resulting from the preceding relentless winter,” wrote C.O. Johnson, one of the original six founders, who was is still strumming away with the ensemble in 2014
The FBC collected a number of awards. Members had diverse professional backgrounds and most were retired. The club performed across the country, in concert at prestigious halls including the Whiting, as well as hospitals, schools and senior homes. The club has raised more than $50,000 for community projects and in particular, scholarships administered by Mott Community College
Since 1974, the annual “Banjorama” featured a variety of banjo and non-banjo old time entertainment
Flint Banjo Club - The Happy Sounds Of The Flint Banjo Club album cover
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Year: 1978
Track list:
-Alabama Jubilee And Waiting For The Robert E. Lee Medley
-Five Foot Two
-Sweet Georgia Brown
-Carolina In The Morning
-Nobody's Sweetheart, Now
-Bye Bye Blues
-Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home
-The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
-Whispering
-The Pennsylvania Polka
-A Shanty In Old Shanty Town
-Battle Hymn Of The Republic
-Coney Island Washboard
In Davison town, gold was found,
A banjo club with a joyful sound,
With strings that twang and fingers that fly,
The Flint Banjo Club's tunes filled the sky
For over 50 years, they strummed and played,
Their passion for banjos never did fade,
From six enthusiasts, the club has grown,
To more than 50, a band of their own
Their Banjorama, a yearly delight,
A fundraiser held through the night,
With Picks and Sticks and Mel Collie too,
An evening of music, for me and you
With diverse members and awards galore,
The Flint Banjo Club has a history to adore,
They've raised funds and brought joy,
To many communities, girl and boy
So come one, come all, to Davison town,
And hear the music that won't let you down,
For in the Flint Banjo Club, there's gold to be found,
A treasure of sound, that will astound
https://youtu.be/lGN86Z6QEeU
https://youtu.be/MZ9xl4mdabQ
JTS
- Genre
- Folk & Singer-Songwriter