[Dixielandjazz] Personal best on banjo

[Don Ingle]

I have known and worked with some fine banjoists. But if I had to 
express and opinion on  a personal best, it would have to be Luther 
"Red": Roundtree. He was banjoist on many of the Spike Jones recordings 
of the '40's and also recorded with "Red" Ingle's Natural Seven. Good 
ear evidence for those that  want to dig out the sides.
He was a driving element in both bands.

I would add Perry Botkin, Dick "Icky" Morgan, also a Jones alum. I also 
worked with Manny Sayles for two years at Chicago's Jazz Ltd. and his  
style was pure old New Orleans strumming style.
 
One player deserving kudos was Charlie Marshall. Charlie played with 
several Chicago and Wisconsin groups and was the first banjo/guitar with 
the Sons of Bix. He had a marvelous rollicking, straight ahead sense of 
time, and his guitar - tenor - was one of the prettiest sounding of all 
players of that four stringer.
Charlie was sadly injured while operating machinery on his Arabian horse 
farm in Avalon, WI and lost an arm.
A tragic end to a great player's music, though he survived and continued 
to operate his horse operation. For those who worked with him, we lost a 
gem of a player to a damn manure spreader.

I will stick with  my number one - "Red" Roundtree. A giant on the 
banjo, a warm and wonderful fellow with a rich Tex/Ark voice and humor 
to match. He is worth  remembering -- or discovering if  you haven't had 
that  pleasure.

One man's opinion, that's all it is.
Don Ingle