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Don
Reno secured his place in history as the world-renowned
bluegrass banjo virtuoso of Reno and Smiley fame. Bluegrass
experts and fans alike agree that Don’s lightning-fast banjo
riffs heavily influenced bluegrass music as we know it today.
Don Reno’s dexterity, timing, and wonderful musical talents
set a standard for banjo pickin’ that will last forever.
Although known more for his banjo work, Reno was equally as
talented on the guitar, hence the nickname “King of the
Flat-Picking Guitarists.” Reno died in 1984 at age 57, but
today his three sons, Ronnie, Dale, and Don Wayne, continue
the esteemed Reno musical tradition as successful bluegrass
musicians.
Born
February 21, 1927 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Don Reno
grew up on a farm in Haywood County, North Carolina. His
father, Zebulon Reno, gave him his first guitar at age 9, and
by age 12 Reno was playing on local radio. At 14, he took a
musical apprenticeship with the Morris Brothers at WSPA in
Spartanburg, where he also worked with Arthur Smith and His
Crackerjacks. The Morris Brothers introduced Reno to mountain
music, a subgenre of bluegrass quickly gaining popularity in
the Carolinas at the time. While under Smith, Reno learned
everything from country to big band music. Reno would later
renew his partnership with Smith in 1955 with the famous duet,
Feuding Banjos.
Between 1944 and 1946 Reno entered the service, fighting on
the front line in Burma with the unit known as Merrill’s
Marauders. When he returned to the States, he immediately
resumed his musical career. Before the war, Reno caught the
eye of Bill Monroe, and he asked Reno to become a regular with
his band. Opting instead to serve his country, Reno turned
down the offer. Upon his return home, Reno searched for Monroe
and found him in Taylorsville, North Carolina without a banjo
picker. One night as Monroe performed, Reno strapped on his
banjo and walked right onto the stage. A surprised, but
delighted Bill Monroe exclaimed “Where you been boy! I’ve been
looking for you!”
While with Monroe, Reno had the opportunity to
hone his guitar skills as well as his banjo style. On the
banjo he popularized the three finger roll technique
originated by Snuffy Jenkins in the 1930’s. As a guitarist, he
quickly made a name for himself, and at just over 20 years old
Reno became the “King of the Flat-Picking Guitarists.” Not
only did Reno play with the best in the business, he became
the best, pioneering a style that many artists emulate even
today.
Reno
spent the next decade playing as the banjo half of the famed
duo, Reno and Smiley.
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