The Banjo Kings

The Banjo Kings were one of the very few (if only) groups recorded by the Good Time Jazz label in the 1950s that could be considered a bit corny. Formed by banjoists Dick Roberts and Red Roundtree in 1951, the band had either Joe Heimlich, Ernie Anderson or Vito Mumolo on third banjo, plus a three-piece rhythm section that usually included pianist Stan Wrightsman; they played at Dixieland festivals and made several records, from which a CD sampler called Favorites was issued in the late '80s. The Banjo Kings' music tended to include some rags, pop tunes from the 1920s and earlier, and singalongs. ~ Scott Yanow