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Writer's pictureMichael Cook
Jan 11, 20232 min read

Dueling Banjos - Weissberg/Mandel (1973) 1/12/23

How 'bout some bluegrass? (And a bunch of links!)


Way back in 1955, country artist Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith wrote and recorded what turned out to be a classic. He called it "Feuding Banjos."


In the 1970s, a group called The Dillards covered it, sped it up, changed the name to "DUELIN' BANJO" (because only one banjo was used in the song) and THEIR version caught the attention of author James Dickey, who was in the process of adapting his book "Deliverance" into a screenplay.


Trivia: If you're a fan of "The Andy Griffith Show," The Dillards (along with actor Denver Pyle) played the musical Darling Family!


For the 1973 film, Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell were tapped to record a special version of the song to be used in the scene where the city guy trades licks with a backwoods hick. The name was changed AGAIN, this time to "Dueling Banjos," (plural) even though Steve was actually playing acoustic guitar.


Unfortunately, everyone involved forgot to give composer credit to Arthur Smith...but a lawsuit settled that problem and reparations were made.


The "Deliverance" version was a triple chart hit in both the US and Canada. For the record, here are the numbers:

Adult Contemporary: #1 in both countries Top 40: #2 in both countries Country: #5 US, #9 Canada


Several other versions of the song have been released over the years, and two of the most fun were by Steve Martin and Kermit the Frog, and on Hee-Haw, Roy Clark and Buck Trent turned it into a comic "Duel" for the ages.

No matter what title was used, "Dueling Banjos" was a "Great Bluegrass Song of the '50s, '70s, and still is today!







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