Popularizer of the Banjo

Appomattox County · dedicated 1997 · Rte. 24, in wayside 1000 feet south of intersection with Rte. 710

Nearby is buried Joel Walker Sweeney (ca. 1810-1860), the musician who redesigned this African instrument into the modern five-string banjo that is known today. Although slaves apparently added the fifth string to what had been a four-string instrument, Sweeney popularized the new form on the minstrel circuit. He toured with his two brothers, Sam and Dick, in minstrel shows from 1831 until his death in 1860. During the Civil War, Sam Sweeney served as Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's personal banjo picker until Sweeney's death in the winter of 1863-1864.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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More markers nearby

African American Banjoistsunder 1 mi
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