Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Bluegrass Banjo Ballad

#1

Below is a Youtube link to a recording and video I ran across several months ago.

The band named the song, the Vietnam War Song. as they say in the description, it is a Bluegrass Banjo Ballad about Family, Heritage, and Operation Frequent Wind. An American soldier from the south was deployed to South Vietnam, took his 4 string Gibson banjo with him, and just as the soldier left Vietnam, he gave his banjo to a South Vietnamese man that loved American music. Just before the fall of Saigon in 1975, the Vietnamese man was one of the several thousand Vietnamese persons evacuated out as part of that operation, and he took the banjo with him. He was transported to the USA and built a life in Wyoming, raising cattle and a family. Years later, that man gave that 4 string Gibson banjo to his granddaughter, her name is Ryn Nguyen. Ryn still plays that banjo. She is a member of the band in the recording. The lead singer of the band narrates the basic story about the banjo, Ryn and her family before the song starts.

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#2

The music in the video does not fit the story. You can’t play roll patterns like that on a 4 string banjo. Why? Because it doesn’t have a 5th string and you can clearly hear the 5th drone string.

#3

Good point @Archie. I don’t believe the band is claiming that 4 string is being played in the recording. I believe they also play a 5 string in the the band, which is probably used in the recording. Since it is a bluegrass song, I assume the band chose to play a 5 string in the recording, but I don’t know them, so I am not sure.

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#4

Thanks for sharing, @davidr1959 ! My father served in a special advisory role with the South Vietnamese forces in the Mekong Delta in 1967 and 1968. He learned their language, was embedded in their culture, and fought alongside them on a daily basis for a year. He gained a deep appreciation for the struggles of the South Vietnamese in that war. Today I have a granddaughter adopted from Vietnam who loves music. So needless to say, your post was very inspiring in many ways. Take care.

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#5

My pleasure @JKL. Thank you for sharing your father’s story and your family’s story.

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