Derek Lillywhite

[thereallyniceman]

I received an email from one of our members, Robert Dooley. He asked if I knew anything of the very fine Classic Banjo player from the UK, Derek Lillywhite.

Derek has been mentioned a few times on site and I too would be interested to see if he is still around and playing today. I met Derek at my first ever classic banjo competition. He was the senior judge as I stumbled my way through Whistling Rufus at the 1979 BMG Rally in London, UK.  I was "lucky" enough to win the Sid Smith Beginners Cup.

This is the adjudication sheet signed by Derek.... "Nervousness"?  I think he was feeling sorry for me! Performing in front of a hall full of people and a row of judges, for the first time, certainly is nerve wracking!

Derek was a magnificent player who played both Zither banjo and a Weaver nylon strung banjo. If you have not heard his recordings they are available here:

DEREK LILLYWHITE: REMINISCENCES

Give yourself a treat and listen to these, his playing is superb!

Derek was taught by Bernard Sheaff who was star student  Alfred Cammeyer. Here is a short article from 2009 discussing the Banjo in the UK, which suggests Derek is around but seldom seen playing nowadays:

I hope that others may be able to add more information about Derek Lillywhite, and I hope that you found this of interest Robert.

Ian

[Robert Dooley]

Many thanks for your prompt reply. I will be very interested in further information about him. I am a student ofDebbie Schreyer here in St.Paul,Minnesota ,who,I'm sure, will also be interested.

Robert Dooley

[Mike Moss]

I wonder what Derek's up to nowadays... he looks like he was relatively young when he recorded "Banjo Reminiscences" so I guess he must still be around. The recordings on "Banjo Reminiscences" really reveal a true master of the instrument in all its different styles... it's amazing how vividly he captures the essence of both the banjo and zither-banjo.

I also like Kaufman's final comments in the article -- things haven't changed much in the past 15 years, but where do we see Classic banjo 15 years from now? Will we remain inside the "bubble" or will Classic banjo reach out towards the greater musical world? The future of our beloved genre is in our hands.

[David Wade]

Derek is alive and well and playing pinao mainly so I understand. A messy divorce and other unpleasantness have plagued him. Phil Spiers has had a lesson or two from him but not recently.