Top 10 Best Songs Featuring a Banjo

The banjo has been a staple of Western music since the nineteenth century. It is primarily known for its strong presence in bluegrass and, to a lesser extent, country music.

Note: As I mentioned in my list about the pedal steel guitar, I am not as devoted a fan of country music or bluegrass as I am of rock and roll. Most of the songs on this list are country rock songs, with the exception of Genius in France, which I included to add a little weirdness.

Therefore, I encourage all banjo players on the site to contribute their own picks for the best songs featuring a banjo. Even if you're not a banjo player, feel free to vote and add to this list!

The Top Ten

  1. Dueling Banjos - Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell

    Love this song! It's from the movie "Deliverance".

  2. Foggy Mountain Breakdown - Flatt & Scruggs

    Ah, yes, I forgot about Earl Scruggs. I feel terrible about that. Thanks for adding this to the list.

  3. Midnight Flyer - Eagles

    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.

  4. Squeeze Box - The Who

    The song features a banjo solo in the middle. It's the last thing you'd expect on a Who song.

  5. Gallows Pole - Led Zeppelin

    Jimmy Page added a banjo part. Listen carefully to the right channel, and you will hear it.

  6. Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver

  7. Bluebird - Buffalo Springfield

    The banjo comes in at the end, after all the other instruments have dropped out.

  8. I Am a Pilgrim - The Byrds

    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.

  9. Cumberland Blues - Grateful Dead

    Jerry Garcia played banjo here. He was notorious for playing the banjo all his life and was well versed in bluegrass.

  10. Listen to the Music - The Doobie Brothers

    You can hear the banjo throughout most of the song.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Black Betty - Spiderbait

  12. ?

    Pieholden Suite - Wilco

    Wilco member Jay Bennett plays the banjo in the third section of this song. He also plays the banjo on the song "Via Chicago."

    13. The Contenders

  13. Take It Easy - Eagles

  14. Money - The Lovin' Spoonful

    Jerry Yester (the band's new guitarist at the time) played the banjo.

  15. Southern Nights - Glen Campbell

  16. All You Need Is Love - The Beatles

  17. Hello Mr. Banjo - The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers

    A bluegrass song with a conversation between a man and a banjo. It's cute.

  18. Stone - Faces

    Rod Stewart apparently played the banjo on this one. You can hear it most prominently in the intro.

  19. The Air Is Getting Slippery - Primus

    You can't beat the superb banjo solo in this song, especially the live version at Woodstock '94.

  20. Stop! Stop! Stop! - The Hollies

    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.

  21. Say You Love Me - Fleetwood Mac

  22. East Bound and Down - Jerry Reed

    I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. The banjo pretty much sets the pace for the whole song.

  23. Old Man - Neil Young

  24. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere - Bob Dylan

    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.

  25. Genius in France - Weird Al Yankovic

    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.

  26. Bring Back That Leroy Brown - Queen

    This one was technically done on a banjo ukulele. I'm not sure if it's considered part of the banjo family.

  27. Born Lonesome - Cadillac Sky

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