The Reverend Don Wayne Reno is a bluegrass musician and banjo player, and the son of Don Reno (also a banjo player). He is the mainstay of Hayseed Dixie with his brother, Deacon Dale Reno, as the mandolinist. Somehow, these men manage to stay with the cloth, even through the insane schedule of the band. Bluegrass music is considered a form of American roots music with its own roots in the English, Irish and Scottish traditional music of immigrants from the British Isles (particularly the Scots-Irish immigrants of Appalachia), as well as the music of rural African-Americans, jazz, and blues. ... Old 6-string zither banjo 4-string banjos The banjo is a stringed instrument of African-American origin, early or original examples sometimes being called the gourd banjo. Its name is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza. ... The Reverend Don Wayne Reno is a banjo player who created his own playing technique. ... Old 6-string zither banjo 4-string banjos The banjo is a stringed instrument of African-American origin, early or original examples sometimes being called the gourd banjo. Its name is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza. ... Hayseed Dixie Hayseed Dixie are a band that have been described as A Hillbilly Tribute To AC/DC, recording cover versions of hard rock songs in their own distinctive bluegrass style. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ...
Virtually unrivalled among his contemporaries for his mastery of the five-string banjo, DonReno teamed with Red Smiley to create some of the finest bluegrass recordings of the postwar era -- a superb tenor vocalist and songwriter, Reno also proved crucial to the emergence of the guitar as one of bluegrass' lead instrume...
Reno was born in Spartanburg, SC, on February 21, 1926, and raised primarily in rural North Carolina; at age five he built his first banjo, and as a teen backed the Morris Brothers and Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith.
After Reno and Harrell went their separate ways in autumn 1976, the former settled in Lynchburg, VA, where he began performing alongside sons Don, Wayne, Dale, and Ronnie; in 1979, he also again re-teamed with Smith for the album Arthur Smith and DonReno Feudin' Again.
The legendary DonReno is revered in American bluegrass history for his improvisational flair, technical skills and good-humored personality.
Don taught his groundbreaking banjo techniques to his son, DonWayneReno, who now passes it on -- with lots of his dad's great advice -- to all aspiring players.
DonWayne belongs to a pretty special group, as being one of the 5 best banjo players in America.