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Comment by Pär Engstrand on August 30, 2020 at 18:43

What kind of banjos are those? Some kind of top tension variant? (no, I don't mean the big banjo in the middle, with the many strings... :-) )

Comment by Richard William Ineson on August 31, 2020 at 12:30

If my memory is still holding up I think that they were famous for playing their repertoire is four part harmony plus harp, on their banjos. I may have one of their arrangements of a lullaby I think. I also seem to remember that they played everything in the tremolo style using leather plectra. There is no end to what you can do with a banjo.

Comment by Joel Hooks on August 31, 2020 at 17:24

Perhaps the statement should be "there is no end to what you can do to a banjo."?

Tremolo with a leather pick was Farland's thing too.

Comment by Jody Stecher on August 31, 2020 at 17:31

Richard William Ineson wrote "there is no end to what you can do with a banjo".   I agree wholeheartedly and I disagree with the widespread opinion about the banjo's limitations. It is the imagination of the banjo's critics that is limited. Now the banjo does *excel* in certain areas but being better than other instruments for certain things does not mean being inadequate in others.

Comment by Richard William Ineson on September 1, 2020 at 5:45

Here's a bit of information from the obituary of John Stavordale Emes-Thomas, a drummer who died in 2012:There were several members of the family who were classical musicians of a very high calibre. Some appeared as circus acts, others rose to be theatre and music-hall performers. The most prominent of these, which caused the 'surname-theft' court-case seems to have been THE MILES STAVORDALE QUINTETTE. Headed by Miles EMES-THOMAS, John's grandfather's ensemble, their stringed instruments said to impersonate the human voice, was . exceptional for the period. It had star-billing in the USA (1905, at Poll's "Wonderland", Newhaven, Connecticut); Australia (1906-1908 - Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, Opera House, Melbourne and Palace Gardens, Perth; New Zealand (1916, Theatre Royal, Christchurch - see poster); They possibly toured many more countries, including Britain, where they appeared at the Hippodrome, Bristol, at least for one week (19-24 June, 1916). Their heyday occurred between the late 1800s and
1918. So this would appear to be how John got hooked on music, and it explains his distinctive dignified stage presence. John only imparted this sort of information in the last two or three years of his life

Comment by Richard William Ineson on September 1, 2020 at 5:57

There is also some interesting information about the MSQ in this article published in the Australian magazine 'Everyone's' in 1924:https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&s...

Comment by Richard William Ineson on September 1, 2020 at 6:20
Comment by Richard William Ineson on September 1, 2020 at 7:03

The MSQ also made  a few records, before WW!, for the German BEKA company. 'The Dear Little Shamrock' and 'Terence's Farewell to Kathleen' B5202, 'In the Good Old Summertime' B5201, 'Old Folks at Home' B5200, 'Tammany' B5199, 'Come Back to Erin' 5198, '. Beka also issued records by Nassau Kennedy and a mysterious banjo duo, G.Marshall and A.Cole 'Darktown Dandies' B5206 and ' The Colored Major' B5207. Perhaps one of our banjo fans has some of these MSQ records and will make them available to us so that we can hear what all the fuss was about.

Comment by Pär Engstrand on September 1, 2020 at 11:02

Thanks alot for that information, Richard!

The question still remains, though: what kind of banjos are those? :-)

Comment by Richard William Ineson on September 1, 2020 at 18:09

I don't know, they will have been some 'new improved, louder. heavier, juicier inlays, more powerful, the most expensive, model,etc. I seem to remember an article in the B.M.G. about the MSQ, probably Bill Brewer in the 1950s mentioning that they had their banjos especially made for them. They don't look very spicy to me, I prefer the regular/usual model of banjo but I suppose that I'm set in my ways. The MSQ certainly got around the world.

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