Biography

One of the towering figures of old-time music, Dock Boggs was a banjo innovator who played Appalachian songs with a blues feel. Born in 1898 in Virginia, Boggs watched African-American string bands and incorporated what he learned into his own style. He tuned the banjo lower than most Appalachian players, disliked clawhammering, and opted for a three-fingered arpeggio technique. The resulting bluesy style landed him a minor recording deal with Brunswick in 1927. Despite the possibility of a national breakthrough, Boggs turned his back on the industry, which his religious wife Sara considered fraught with sin. After using his banjo as collateral for a loan and working as a coal miner for two decades, the old-time legend was saved from obscurity by Mike Seeger and the '60s folk revival, subsequently recording many sides for Smithsonian Folkways. He died on his birthday in 1971.

Top Tracks

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• Country Blues

• Cumberland Gap

• Danville Girl

• John Hardy

• Little Omie Wise

• Pretty Polly

• Sugar Baby

Discography

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• Dock Boggs, Vol. 3

  Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

  1970

• Dock Boggs, Vol. 2

  Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

  1965

• Legendary Singer & Banjo Player

  Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

  1963