Music to Truly Entertain

[AlanHo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myhnAZFR1po

[andsome]

I remember the film well, We enjoyed it. Nice to see people who can actually play a guitar instead of strumming and screaming. Very enjoyable.

[catgate]

The last third is acceptable as jolly good music, the first two thirds are crap.

[AlanHo]

The story of that music is rather sad - this video reveals all. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dueling+banjo+story

 

If you don't have time to watch it this is the story.

 

The boy banjo player is named Billy Redden - he was hired as a bit player to do a short scene in the film just because of his looks. The film director wanted a boy who looked like an inbred.

Billy Redden could NOT play the banjo - to this day he still can't. For the film there was a young banjo player named Mike Addis who was behind the set playing live with the guitar player.

 

This music in the film is what turned a mediocre film into a great one and it got rave reviews. All over America it was Billy Redden's picture on the adverts, flyers and reviews and not Burt Reynolds. Yet despite his moment of fame and the fact that the music sold in millions, Billy Redden and Mike Addis were each paid a meagre $500.

 

The original writer of the music was a guy called Arthur Smith who performed it in the backwoods of the Southern States and had appeared on local TV playing the tune - then called Feuding Banjos and always played by 2 banjos in it's original form. He was well know locally as was this music - but not nationally. The film Maker had not acknowledged that they had "stolen" existing music and they were getting the royalties. So Mike Smith sued them and was offered $15,000 to make the problem go away. He refused, won millions and now lives off the music royalties.

 

There have been petitions in the USA for Billy Redden and Mike Addis to be rewarded - but nothing came of it. Mike Addis has been able to make a musical career because of his banjo playing talent but Billy now works at Walmart. 

[catgate]

My father used to play the banjo way back in the '20s. He also played the violin, in a Dance Band in Bradford, before matrimony hit him.

Mother could play the piano and so sometimes, after recovering from matrimony and procreation, they would go into the lounge and just play music for the fun of it.

Happy days. He was a master of the mouth organ too. I still have one of his mouth organs....but can I play it.......!

I used to play on the linoleum.

[Gandalph]

Funnily enough, Billy Redden was on the Tele last night. He was saying that he still can't play a single Note and he still works at Walmart. I didn't catch all the Interview because I had Company in the house and ended switching the Tele off. I think that fight for cash is still going on with him.

[andsome]

Nice history, you sure are clever folk.