RARE American Chestnut Mountain Banjo

This video showcases a handmade, fretless Kentucky mountain banjo built by Clifton Hicks. The description details the instrument's construction materials, including black walnut, red oak, red cedar, and wormy chestnut, with a natural goat skin head and hemp oil/beeswax finish. It highlights the absence of metal parts and power tools, emphasizing hand-tool craftsmanship. The video also promotes an upcoming Banjo Extravaganza event at Hagood Mill Historic Site in Pickens, SC, featuring musical presentations and live performances by various banjo artists.

This video features a musician playing a folk song titled "Big Eyed Rabbit" (also known as "Rock in a Weary Land") on a fretless mountain banjo. The description highlights the banjo's maker, Clifton Hicks, and provides links to his various online platforms for support and music. It also includes a biblical quote for context.

This video showcases three distinct versions of the banjo tune "Little Grey Mule" (also known as "The Wild Boar"). The content features performances on a 1910 Weymann "Keystone State" banjo and two handmade mountain banjos (one 4-string and one 5-string), all played by Clifton Hicks. The description highlights the historical origins of the tune, referencing Roscoe Halcomb's 1950s recording and the tune's older community name. It also provides numerous links for supporting the artist through Patreon, SubscribeStar, Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes, and donations, as well as merchandise and educational resources via Banjo Heritage.

This YouTube video features a banjo lesson for the song "Bright Sunny South," learned from a 1960s recording by Dock Boggs. The instructor, Clifton Hicks, mentions that noteworthy versions have also been recorded by Merle & Doc Watson, and Alison Krauss & Dan Tyminski. He specifies the tuning and instrument used: an 1888 Thompson & Odell "The Luscomb" banjo tuned fCFA♯C ~ gDGCD. The video also includes lyrics to the song, which speaks of a young man going to war. Links are provided for the TAB, Patreon, BanjoHeritage.com, and various social media and purchase platforms.

This video features Clifton Hicks performing the song "Drunkard's Doom" (also known as "I Saw a Man at the Close of Day") on a 5-string gourd banjo made in Jamaica by Jeff Menzies. Hicks learned the song from Matt Kinman and provides the lyrics in the description. The song tells a cautionary tale about alcoholism. The description also includes links to Hicks' Patreon, Bandcamp, merch store, and streaming platforms, along with several hashtags related to traditional and folk music.

This video is a clawhammer banjo lesson focusing on the tune "Old Chattanooga." The instructor, Clifton Hicks, learned the tune from a 1977 field recording and plays on an 1888 Thompson & Odell "The Luscomb" banjo tuned gDGBD (approx. fCFAC). The description also provides links to TABs, the artist's Bandcamp, merchandise, Spotify, iTunes, SubscribeStar, Patreon, PayPal, and YouTube memberships. The video highlights traditional Appalachian music and banjo heritage.

This video is a banjo performance of a song titled 'Ballad of Kyle Rittenhouse' by Clifton Hicks. The description provides links to the artist's Patreon, merch store, PayPal, Venmo, Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, SubscribeStar, and YouTube channel memberships. It also includes a list of hashtags related to various music genres and the subject matter of the song. The song's title and hashtags directly reference Kyle Rittenhouse and related themes.

This video features Clifton Hicks performing 'Cold Blows the Wind' on a 5-string banjo using the clawhammer technique. The performance is set against a stark, black-and-white woodland backdrop, with the artist adopting a historical frontier persona. The song's narrative unfolds through somber vocals, detailing a lover's mourning at a grave and a spectral warning from the deceased.

This video features Clifton Hicks performing 'Ballad of Bloody Bill Anderson' on a banjo, detailing the historical figure's violent exploits. The performance highlights advanced clawhammer banjo techniques and deep knowledge of American folk music and Civil War lore. The song's narrative covers Anderson's arrival, a fierce battle, his death, and the grim aftermath, including the display of his head and pistols marked with his kills.

Clifton Hicks performs the traditional folk song 'Moonshiner' on a 5-string banjo using a clawhammer technique. The song details a life dedicated to moonshining, sustained by whiskey and beer over twenty-one years. The performance features an instrumental introduction before the vocal verses begin.