[STORY] White House Visit And Encounter With Mrs Roosevelt

Story told by Wade Mainer at the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music Photo by Marty Godbey in the Marty Godbey Photograph Collection

Wade Mainer (1907-2011) was a North Carolina banjo player who was influential in developing the 'two finger style' of banjo picking He began recording music in 1934 with several bands including the Sons of the Mountaineers A religious conversion in 1953 led him to renounce the music industry and the banjo He moved to Flint Michigan to work at General Motors In the 1960s he began playing the banjo again on gospel recordings and is credited with helping the Banjo lose it's stigma as being a 'satanic' instrument Mainer retired from GM in 1973 and began recording music and touring with his wife, guitarist Julia Mainer He continued to release albums until 1993, at the age of 86

10/26/79

Sound Music

Special Collections and Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College

AC-OR-005-130-09

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2011