Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum at Renfro Valley has mounted an exhibit that tracks the history of the banjo from Africa to about 1900, when the banjo assumed its modern form. The exhibit contains instruments, photographs, sheet music covers, playbills and other items related to the history of the banjo. The first section of the exhibit contains African instruments and gourd banjos; the second section contains instruments from the minstrel banjo era; and the third section contains instruments from the classic banjo era. A final section is devoted to lady banjo players. Most instruments and ephemera are from the collection of George R. Gibson. Bob Thornburg, Daniel Jatta and Ulf Jagfors loaned instruments for the exhibit. The exhibit will be available for viewing for at least one year beginning in August 2003.