George Pegram

George Pegram (1911-1974) was one hell of a banjo player. This North Carolina native picked up the instrument at the age of nine without the slightest notion that he would later leave a permanent mark on the history of folk music. In his prime, Pegram played old-timey bluegrass with mouth harp aficionado Red Parham and then the Bushy Mountain Boys. He was the first string-band artist to be recorded by two undergraduates from Boston who (upon finishing the recordings) decided to start a record label that became the seminal Rounder Records. Pegram's interpretation of old gospel standards is purely rustic, expelling string-picking at lightning speed as he hoots and hollers over fiddle swipes, mandolin chimes and acoustic guitar strumming.