The Banjo Was Originally a West African Instrument

Photo by imgix on Unsplash

For as long as I can remember, the banjo has been ingrained in my mind as a symbol of Appalachia and the southeastern United States. To me, it’s always been a hillbilly (term used with all love and respect, friends, I’m a country boy, too) instrument, synonymous with blue grass music. So, I naturally assumed the instrument originated in Appalachia, or at least in the American South. Turns out I was…