Eric Weissberg (born 18 August 1939) is an American banjo player, best known for the theme from Deliverance. August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A four-string banjo For other uses, see Banjo (disambiguation) The banjo is a stringed instrument of African origin, early or original examples sometimes being called the gourd banjo. One predecessor to the banjo is called the Akonting. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Biography

Eric Weissberg went to the University of Wisconsin, then the Juilliard School of Music. He joined an early version of the Greenbriar Boys (1958-59), but left before they made any recordings. He then joined The Tarriers, replacing Eric Darling. The Tarriers had recently had a hit with "Banana Boat Song", though Harry Belafonte had the bigger hit soon afterwards. At first Weissberg was taken on as a string-bass player but the group soon made use of his multi-instrumental talents as banjo player, guitarist, mandolin player and singer. At this time he was still a student at Juilliard. His first album with The Tarriers, Tell The World About This (1960) has a much rougher feel than the smoothly-produced sound of The Weavers or The Kingston Trio. In 1964 he had to do one year of duty with the National Guard, but on returning, the group re-formed. In 1965 the group accompanied Judy Collins on a tour of Poland and Russia, but disbanded soon after. Judy Collins was sufficient impressed to use him as a session musician on Fifth Album (1965) and several later albums. The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public university located in Madison, Wisconsin. ... The Juilliard School is a performing arts conservatory in New York City, informally but definitively identified as simply Juilliard, and most famous for its musically-trained alumni. ... Eric Darling was a folk artist in 1960s San Francisco Sound, best known for versions of his song Babe Im Gonna Leave You by Quicksilver Messenger Service. ... The Banana Boat Song is a traditional Jamaican Calypso folk song, whose best-known version was sung by Harry Belafonte. ... Harold George Belafonte, Jr. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Carved (electric) and round backed mandolins (front) A mandolin is a small, stringed musical instrument which is plucked, strummed or a combination of both. ... The Weavers were an immensely popular and influential folk music quartet from Greenwich Village, New York, United States. ... The Kingston Trios original lineup: Bob Shane, Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds The Kingston Trio is an American folk group. ... The United States National Guard is a component of the United States Army (the Army National Guard) and the United States Air Force (the Air National Guard). ... Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939 in Seattle, Washington) is an American folk and standards singer. ...

Commercially, interest in acoustic folk groups was waning, so Weissberg began his successful career as a session musician, playing on albums by Doc Watson, Melanie, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Loudon Wainwright III, Talking Heads, Tom Paxton, Jim Croce, Art Garfunkel, John Denver and others. He is chiefly remembered for the hit single "Dueling Banjos", the theme from the film Deliverance, produced by Joe Boyd and directed by John Boorman. There was also a hit album called Dueling Banjos: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 'Deliverance' in 1973, but the album was not all it seemed to be. Back in 1963, Weissberg had recorded an album called New Dimensions in Banjo and Bluegrass with Marshall Brickman (a writer who later received an Oscar for Annie Hall). The 1963 album was dragged out of the archives, and two tracks were removed. In their place was the hit single, and thus a new album was born. One of the original tracks, "Shuckin' The Corn" was later sampled by The Beastie Boys. Doc Watson Merle Watson, c. ... Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (born February 3, 1947 in Astoria, New York City) is an American singer-songwriter. ... William Martin Billy Joel (born May 9, 1949, in Bronx, New York) is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... Loudon Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina) is an American songwriter, folk singer, humorist, and actor. ... Talking Heads was an American rock band existing between 1974 and 1991, composed of David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and Jerry Harrison. ... Thomas R. Paxton was born October 31, 1937 in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest child of Burton and Esther Paxton. ... James Joseph Croce (January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973), popularly known as Jim Croce (pronounced CROW-chee), was an American singer-songwriter. ... Art Garfunkel in Bad Timing (1980) Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and actor, best known as half of the folk duo Simon and Garfunkel. ... John Denver (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. ... Billy Redden as Lonny- the banjo kid. ... Joe Boyd (born August 5, 1942) is an American record producer. ... John Boorman (born January 18, 1933 in Shepperton, Surrey, United Kingdom), is a British filmmaker, currently based in Ireland, best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Excalibur, and The General. ... Marshall Brickman (born August 25, 1941 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is an Academy Award winning screenwriter, best known for his collaborations with Woody Allen. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... Annie Hall is a 1977 romantic comedy film directed by Woody Allen from a script he co-wrote with Marshall Brickman. ... The Beastie Boys as depicted on the cover of their 1992 album Check Your Head. ...

Weissberg still plays in folk festivals, and is almost as well known for his dobro guitar as for his bluegrass banjo playing. He has also recorded with jazz musicians Herbie Mann and Bob James. In 1998 he joined Richard Thompson and dozens of other folk musicians on Nanci Griffith's album Other Voices Too. A modern Gibson Dobro Dobro is a trade name now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar. ... Bluegrass music is considered a form of American roots music with its own roots in English, Irish and Scottish traditional music. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans at around the start of the 20th century. ... Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), better known as Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flutist and important practitioner of world music. ... Bob James can refer to: An actor Bob James A jazz musician Bob James An historian Bob James This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Richard Thompson (born 3 April 1949) is a British musician, best known for his guitar playing and songwriting. ... Depiction of Nanci Griffith on the cover of her album Flyer Nanci Caroline Griffith, born July 6, 1953, is a singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas. ...

Discography

• Single: Dueling Banjos / Reuben's Train (Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandel, 1973)
• Tell The World About This (The Tarriers, 1960)
• A Live Performance Recorded At The Bitter End (The Tarriers)
• Folk Blues Styles (1963)
• New Dimensions in Banjo and Bluegrass (Eric Weissberg, Marshall Brickman and Company, 1963)
• Rural Free Delivery (Eric Weissberg and Delivery, 1973)
• Dueling Banjos: From the Original motion Picture Soundtrack 'Deliverance' (1973; reissue of New Dimensions)
• Banjo Jamboree: Traditional Series (1996)

Session recordings

• Fifth Album (Judy Collins, 1965)
• Live At Newport (1959 - 1966) (Judy Collins)
• Ballads From Deep Gap (Doc and Merle Watson, 1967)
• The Good Book (Melanie, 1971)
• Portfolio (Ritchie Havens, 1973)
• True Stories and Other Dreams (Judy Collins, 1973)
• Piano Man (Billy Joel, 1973)
• Blood on the Tracks (Bob Dylan, 1974)
• Judith (Judy Collins, 1975)
• Final Exam (Loudon Wainwright III, 1978)
• Little Creatures (Talking Heads, 1985)
• Album III (Loudon Wainwright III, 1990)
• Heroes (Tom Paxton, 1992)
• Judy Sings Dylan ... Just Like a Woman (Judy Collins, 1993)
• Shameless (Judy Collins, 1994)
• Take The Fifth (compilation; Bridget St John, 1995)
• Other Voices Too (Nanci Griffith, 1998)
• Live For The Record (Tom Paxton, 1999)
• Times Like These (Rick Danko, 2000)
• Live at Wolf Trap (Judy Collins, 2002)