THE BANJOREE-TEAM
ANDREAS BENKHOFER, Dortmund
In 1968 he bought a banjo and Pete Seeger's school "How to play the 5-string banjo", later music studies, 1st state work in 1977 with the theme "Folk song traditions in the Southern Appalachian Mountains". In the bluegrass band "Stringtime" and in the acoustic instrumental band "VIER MINUS" he played guitar and banjo. Several trips to the U.S., including a sabbatical year in Canada and the U.S.
UWE PEPER, Hamburg
In the 70s he came into contact with folk and country music through his brother, friends, the soldier stations BFBS and AFN. In 1975 he saw and heard the Strange Creek Singers (with Mike Seeger and Lamar Grier on the banjo) and Bill Monroe live. It was clear: "A banjo with five strings is needed, and if I only learn one piece." It all started with the Pete Seeger textbook. Up-picking and clawhammer was the beginning, but three-finger scruggs picking seemed more manageable. Since 1980 he has played in the North German bluegrass bands "Woodpicker", "Red Hot Grass", "Snake Riders" and "The High Road", occasionally with the "Ramshackle Shack Ramblers". He also supports the bluegrass and slow jam session in Hamburg. Within the last few years, he has built a few banjos and makes block rims