Banjo Man

“In recognition of Black History Month, the Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive (IULMIA) is proud to highlight films from our collections that center Black communities, voices, and lived experiences”: From Blues to Banjo: Black Music in the IU Libraries Moving Image Archive.

This week: Banjo Man (dir. Joe Vinikow and Reuben Chodooh, 1977), “a rare portrait of John ‘Uncle Homer’ Walker, an 80-year-old Black Appalachian banjo player whose life and music challenge commonly held assumptions about the roots of old-time mountain music.” But it’s not yet available. I’ll add a link when the film comes online.

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And here it is. Narrated by Taj Mahal.

[In 2026 it’s much better known that the banjo is an instrument with African roots and was long a major instrument in Black American music.]