The banjo, ultimately derived from African sources, has been a mainstay of American music-making since the mid-17th century.
An African concept, carried over into the developing American banjo, was the shorter "thumb string," already visible in an early 19th-century gourd instrument depicted in an early watercolor, "The Old Plantation."
Early banjos and banjo prototypes in Africa and the Caribbean were generally created by their players, using an animal skin "head" stretched over a gourd.
In the 19th century banjo manufacturers began to create instruments using round wooden frames and fretted necks with (most commonly) four or five strings.
WIKIPEDIA: "BANJO"
KENTUCKY BANJO CRAFTSMEN
Harris Banjo Works (Bradford Harris - Harlan Co.: Harlan)
Hatfield Banjos (Arthur Hatfield - Barren Co.: Glasgow)
Arthur Hatfield & Hatfield Banjos (WKU/PBS video)
J. Daniel Graham (Scott Co.: Georgetown)
Neat Banjos (Frank Neat - Russell Co.: Russell Springs)
Banjo Maker Frank Neat (KET video)
