Many people don't know just how popular the 5-string banjo was in the late 19th/early 20th century. It was popular in areas other than the rural South and was used for things like classical music and ragtime. There were even banjo orchestras that included things like cello banjos and piccolo banjos. That's why so many old banjos are found in attics in areas of the country where you would have never thought the banjo was popular. Samuel Swain Stewart was at the forefront of the efforts to popularize the 5-string banjo.
Interestingly, Dave Guard played an old Stewart before he bought his Pete Seeger long neck. His Stewart can be heard on the first album and on the hungry i album.
After the First World War, the 5-string banjo's popularity waned as the tenor banjo became the go-to rhythm instrument in jazz bands.
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