“I play a replica of a banjo from the 1950s. It was the first commercia...” — Rhiannon Giddens Quote

“I play a replica of a banjo from the 1950s. It was the first commercial-style banjo in the United States so it's the first one that white people played.”

“To learn the history of the banjo is to recover the actual history of America.”

“The best part of a MacArthur is having some pressure taken off from touring relentlessly.”

“When I was 3 years old, I was playing banjo on a country music TV show.”

“Well, you know, the original banjos were all handmade instruments. Gourd - it would be made with gourds and whatever, you know, materials would have been around. And, you know, first hundred years of its existence, the banjo's known as a plantation instrument, as a black instrument, you know?”

“I was like, 'Man, bluegrass - that's like Roy Clark playing banjo on 'Hee Haw.' I'm a huge 'Hee Haw' fan. But I didn't know about bluegrass. It seemed like old people's music.”