Midlands and North Classic Banjo Rally

[thereallyniceman]

I have just received a copy of the feature article from the Worksop Guardian. The Midlands and North Banjo Rally was held last month in Clowne, Derbyshire UK and several of our members were there.

Play spot the Classic Banjo Ning members and win a prize :-)

Thanks to all the players for helping to keep Classic Banjo alive and well!

[Mike Moss]

Richard Inegon? Lol! Oh well, even though they didn't spell his name right at least there's a nice picture of him playing a 12" Weaver!

(I've been doing too much proofreading lately... but at least that means money to spend on banjos!)

[Richard William Ineson]

Inson,Hineson, Inison,Imogen.Indison, Ireton,Illison, Ireson, Iveson,I've had them all. I once considered changing my name to Smith, but then they would have been asking 'Is that with an E' or a Y, or double T. I do not, at the age of 65, mind what they call me, so long as they don't ask me for money. As to the origin of my name, it is Scandinavian, we have been in East Yorkshire since a least 870 AD and we have mostly been butchers in the Malton area but we have been connected very closely with Whitby and Scarborough since 1426. One of my ancestors, Edward Hopper Hebden, was the first Mayor of Scarborough (incidentally I am not too pleased about this, Scarborough Council having received a lot of bad publicity about the abuse of the public purse, in recent years.) Actually, I give full marks for originality to the WG reporter as I have not been called Inegon before.

[Jody Stecher]

I am familiar with the situation, Richard. Stecher is pronounced with a hard K in America (Stekr) and with a clearing of the throat noise in Austria (Shte kh er). In 66 years I've been called Stetcher, Stretcher, Fletcher, Starcher, Joe Day Starcher, John D Stecher, Toby Stecher, Curly Stecher,  Stinker, Strecker, Starker, Sticker (I get that one a lot) Steckert, Sechler and Stekellpuss, and it was not far from the coast between Scarborough and Whitby close to Robin Hood's Bay that on one day in 1980 I broke both a wooden window frame *and* a car door that I earned the name Jody Wrecker. As for your names, I especially like Ireson. It sounds like Arson. Next time we play a banjo duet we can do it as Arson and Wrecker.

[Pam Tointon]

 

Know the feeling, got used now to being Ms Toy Town!

Agree about docu. Frank Skinner did one on George Formby and the uke a couple of years ago.

[thereallyniceman]

Ms Toy Town has a nice ring to it :-)

For those who don't know Frank Skinner, he is a popular TV comedian and presenter here in the UK. I saw that documentary too and Skinner handled the programme in a very even handed and professional way. In the UK, TV or radio reports usually treat the banjo, or its derivatives, as objects of ridicule and the people playing them as though they had just been let out of the asylum. Skinner showed his love for the instrument and the sheer enjoyment in people, young and old, at the meetings of the George Formby Society.

I speak from experience as, some years ago, I was a member and the meetings were held here in Blackpool, so I regularly attended... even meeting George Harrison (Yes, THE, George Harrison) at one of the GFS gatherings.

View here:

FRANK SKINNER AT THE GFS

I believe that Skinner also did a program about the 5 string Banjo and attempted to learn to play to a level to allow him to enter a large banjo competition in the USA.  Frank is obviously a bit of a banjophile at heart!

Maybe, one day, a Classic Style performer will become a " TV STAR", then we will have to beat new players off with sticks  :-)