![]() ![]() This is of course something he has in common with white old-time music artists from Appalachia and indeed these musicians have much more in common than just weepy dog ballads. His “Old Blue” is one of the best versions of this dog-lover’s favorite. Just like her, Roberts has a cozy side in which the banjo is used as an accomplice in storytelling about animals. The wonderful banjo style of Elizabeth Cotton descended from this tradition. Since the late ’70s, three excellent compilation albums have been released of Roberts and his contemporaries, black American banjo players born at the end of the 19th century. ![]() But his importance as a link to Afro-American traditions as well as Appalachian styles means his music has been the subject of intense study by archivists and ethnomusicologists. The titles of tunes this historic North Carolina banjo man recorded evoke the rowdy milieu he came out of : “High Sheriff,” “Old Corn Liquor,” “Black Annie,” “Roustabout,” “Fox Chase,” and so forth. ![]()
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