Top Ten Songs Featuring a Banjo
The banjo has been a staple of western music since the nineteenth century. It is mainly known for its high presence in bluegrass and, to a lesser extent, country music. Note: As I mentioned on my list about the pedal steel guitar I am not a devoted fan to country music or bluegrass as I am to rock and roll. Most of these songs are country rock songs, with the exception of the song Genius in France, which I added for a little weirdness. Therefore I encourage all banjo players who are on the site to add what they think are the best songs with a banjo. And even if you're not, feel free to vote and add to this list.
Love this song! It's from the movie "Deliverance".
Ah, yes, I forgot about Earl Scruggs. I feel terrible about that. Thanks for adding this to the list.
Bernie Leadon was a great banjo player. Another song with a notable use of banjo is Journey of the Sorcerer, the theme from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
The song features a banjo solo in the middle. It's the last thing you'd expect on a Who song.
Jimmy Page added a banjo part. Listen carefully to the right channel, and you will hear it.
The banjo comes in at the end, after all the other instruments have dropped out.
Roger McGuinn played banjo on this one. He first started learning banjo in 1957. That explains why he uses fingerpicking whenever he plays guitar. He learned it on banjo first.
Jerry Garcia played banjo here. He was notorious for playing the banjo all his life and was well versed in bluegrass.
You can hear the banjo throughout most of the song.
Jerry Yester (the band's new guitarist at the time) played the banjo.
A bluegrass song with a conversation between a man and a banjo. It's cute.
Rod Stewart apparently played the banjo on this one. You can hear it most prominently in the intro.
You can't beat the superb banjo solo in this song, especially the live version at Woodstock '94.
Lead guitarist Tony Hicks plays the banjo on this song. They ran the banjo through a tape delay unit, making it sound more like a balalaika than an ordinary banjo.
I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. The banjo pretty much sets the pace for the whole song.
Specifically referring to the version on Greatest Hits Vol. II. Dylan's friend Happy Traum played the banjo. They didn't use any other outsiders in the recording sessions.
The banjo comes in at the 6:32 mark, when the song spontaneously turns into a bluegrass style two step. It's not a large portion of the song, but it sticks out enough that I think it's worth mentioning.
This one was technically done on a banjo ukulele. I'm not sure if it's considered part of the banjo family.
