EP338: The Banjo's Trip Through History, “He Was Closer To Death Than We Knew” and The Man In The Glass Coffin

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Some of our favorites. One of the things we love to do is take you around the country and pursue Americans, hobbies, Americans, quarks, and also museums of all time from presidential museums down to the arcane and the fun. Which brings us to Johnny buyer was the executive director of the banjo Museum in Oklahoma, sharing with us the banjo history Museum was born out of a jazz banjo Festival in Guthrie, Oklahoma. This festival eventually came to be Museum, which opened in 1998, 2009 they moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City when they have close to 400 banjos on exhibit.

Here's Johnny with the story of the banjo. The most popular part of the museum visitors experience tends to relate to things that they can relate to immediately most of our visitors are not banjo players.

So when we can do something that ties the banjo directly to something that they have an already soft partner part we've hit a homerun on some of our exhibits included Steve Martin Steve Martin everyone loves as a comic and an actor and playwright and all these things he sees a wonderful superstar but is also great banjo player so we have right now we have one of the instruments that Steve donated to our Museum and when people see Steve Martin's picture banjo to our Museum.

I know that guy and he's cool so the banjo must be cool to me. That's the kind of thought process.

We want to get through people's just closed and exhibit. Not too long ago about Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets. Now if you're a Muppet fan, you would've remembered Kermit the frog banjo in the Muppet movie and anybody of a certain age has almost without fail affection for Kermit the frog. So when we did this or should I say the exhibit about Jim Henson.

My goal was to get Kermit the frog here, with the help of the Jim Henson company's family. They allowed us to have Kermit here for almost years strumming banjo and when people see that they immediately put I love Kermit I really like the manager I forgot that connection. Those are the things that really banjo while we call it America's instrument because it's so associated so many types of American music. It actually has its roots in Africa. When the slave trade came through the Indies and brought enslaved Africans to American soil back in the 1600s brought with them knowledge of what we would call early folk banjos basically tree trunks that might've been hollowed out and covered with an animal skin and those so that the body of the banjo, like it had a handle attached to it that they put strings on and are assumption at that point in time is that the strings were more like percussive sounding things like on the back of a snare drum rather than melodic notes.

As time went on, apparently, it became obvious that the rhythmic sound of scratching buses on the banjo could be turned into musical notes rather than you here by the let's call it the late 1700s and 1800s white culture embraced the banjo invaded its owner thought of it as its own. Basically, in the late 1800s it was a time that minstrel shows minstrelsy.

We call it were an accepted and popular form of an entertainment obviously not the case today, we don't promote minstrelsy. We can't tell the story of the banjo without touching on the minstrel or because the banjo was so associated with that very very popular at that point in time. Banjo is been evolving since its earliest forms constantly then next style of the popular banjo playing we call it the classic era that came out basically the late 1800s into the early 1900s on that point in time the banjo was no longer generally, a handmade folk instrument. It started to become a manufactured product so the banjo because of its association with minstrelsy and reputation of being out rough-and-tumble kind of bulky, not very musical instrument, not a serious musical instrument.

Anyway, when the classic era came around the banjo was played in a very refined manner.

Explain with their fingers. The strings were made of animal testing and the refined manner of playing during the classic era is what sets it apart from any other. A banjo evolution. During that classic. Banjo players were expected to read on-site actual notation of musical scores reveal how to narrow the mainstream popularity of the banjo came after that classic era during the late 1910s team popular music in America started to incorporate early ragtime and the dance music that was from the late 1800s and Victorian kind proper European influence dance was really giving way to America's own music. Now that all led to early jazz. So what happened was the banjo started to take on back to its roots take on the role as rhythm instrument and rather than playing single note lines of melody or harmony, or things like that. The banjo was looked upon during the Jazz age to be the rhythmic pulse. It's an absolutely perfect description of the banjo in the Jazz age and that went on beautifully and very, very, commercially, successfully until the stock market crash and you been listening to Johnny buyer and he's the executive director of the banjo Museum in Oklahoma City Oklahoma when we come back more of the story of the banjo here on our American stories. If you love the stories we tell about this great country and especially the stories of America's rich past. Know that all of our stories about American history from ward innovation culture and faith are brought to us by the great folks at Hillsdale College Place for students study all the things that are beautiful in life. All the things that are good in life. If you can get the Hillsdale bills that will come to you with her free and terrific online courses go to Hillsdale.edu to learn more millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. If you're working past age 65. You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment.

Depending on your employer coverage. It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be this@uhcmedicarehealthplans.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives. I know everything there is now about running a coffee shop for small business insurance.

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I got home and they couldn't have a drink and they were looking to have some fun. So prohibition being in place just coming out of the woodwork literally and speakeasies speak. Do you know these illegal bars where liquor was so jazz was king. As far as the soundtrack were becoming very, very, very popular jazz music in the banjo's association with it kinda was part of that subculture or that you know underground culture of the speakeasy, but it all came crashing down when everyone thought that the economic boom of the post-World War I hero would go on forever stock market crash, and no one wanted to dance the Charles. We were we were facing the Great Depression people were stars, banjo, stars of the 1920s were basically shuffled off into the shadows.

At that point in time. Dance music became very subdued slower and chosen dance bands were replaced by guitars in the banjo for all intents and purposes by the end of the 1930s. It was just gone after World War II, the banjo did come back to a degree popularity, but then it was back in September 1945 I believe when Bill Monroe been working on a new string band sound came from Kentucky so call his band the bluegrass boys but it wasn't really until Earl Scruggs brought his banjo and this new style of playing the banjo that never before because it was confined to the rural areas of the Appalachians are Kentucky it was style back to that old classic style with their fingers but it was updated with those managers that had steel strings in text. As fate would have been nostalgic. So after World War II, there was longing for a simpler time you get to keep in mind to political a lot of social unrest here in the state were looking to gravitate towards a simpler time what they considered his time before World War II. So what happened was after World War II, there was a phenomenon recalled banjo partners. There were nightclubs in major cities that were starting to feature music of the 1920s and 30s.

Where did it go from there. A lot of that has been a lot of new style of music being created by the banjo. Now there are some great musicians out there playing banjo who are always experimenting trying to take the banjo in doing different places, but some of the most active banjo identities over the most recent years are again going back to banjo roots. There's been a huge amount of interest in the African roots of the banjo among young black musicians who are reclaiming the African roots of the banjo and taking it full-circle and then of course the Mumford and Sons type of phenomenon also is part of this ongoing pollution that we cover the entire story of the earth, the American manager Museum. My favorite part about the banjo is it becomes an extension of IM music. I hear your music all the banjo is the one that I can get who I am who I confess I can speak to an audience with the tenor of the tenor banjo is out of date. It hasn't really had as I say Celtic music in the mainstream relevance for decades. I'm I'm just gonna play a little loose from a little bit give you kind of an overview here when when you think of banjos these days. You generally don't think of all the notes at one time making up core like a guitar player place you would normally think of picking out individual notes. This tenor banjo that plaintiff has four strings on four strings of the equal length of the neck that makes it different than most banjos today was banjos today have an additional tuning pack that sticks out of the upper part of the net side of the neck in the tombs. A what we call a droning strength in that drawing string is a string that part of that picking pattern I talked about it doesn't change his pitch so the drawing string.

In this case would be this note here, playing over and over hearing. The fact is what I'm showing you is kind of an imitation of bluegrass player would play a couple notes and drawings that you have to do it fast and that's where it starts to sound like the rest sound like it was a long introduction to play the banjo the way you recognize it is my is my experience that if you play the banjo in a manner that your audience recognizes they will let you do anything else on on the banjo okay and that's when I go into any number of different styles banjo playing the you if I were playing in a dance band that's going be playing while the trumpeters were going again. You're basically an accompaniment instrument. But if, as I mentioned in the 1920s. Some of the major players have a single stream facility under their fingers to be able to play melodic passages.

It could be sweet and simple like something like that you can do a lot of things with just depends on where your musical head is at and how much you're willing to commit musically to this special thanks to Johnny buyer for everything including that final performance story of the banjo story of American music and so much more.

This is our Americans. Millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. If you're working past age 65.

You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment. Depending on your employer coverage. It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be this@uhcmedicarehealthplans.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives.

I know everything about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent make sure my business people and confident business owners to help you pass. State Farm is in your corner and on neighbor. There call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious. There's nothing more daunting and facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done can be overwhelming for anyone. If you want to get those larger laundry loads down right and get back to your life. Try all free clear maggot packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry free clear maggot packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and their dental and skin which is great for any family sensitive skin needs my family.

We definitely have sentence again the next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation is. That's because this big pile of dirty clothes all free clear maggot packs purchase all free clear maggot packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types we continue with our American story. Next we have a feature from one of our regular contributors Stephen city. This piece is entitled being heavy father is my brother. More information on this story and its back story visit even rescinding.com or Steve Terry/member life-threatening emergency response, not knowing what I might find. I felt anxious worrying and wondering what circumstances waited.

My arrival all the while aware that my life but still I continue, it was my job to rule. I was a police officer was like that this claim to except I was no longer on the there were no lights and sirens but still I was probably driving too fast and not knowing what my find. I felt anxious, worried and wondering what circumstances waited.

My arrival all the while aware that my life could be in danger, but still I continued it was my job after all. I was his brother can't begin to imagine how he must've felt. But if the comparison is accurate, then I kind of have an idea. I remember the fever and chills the coughing and congestion. The runny nose and fatigue and just wanting to crawl under the covers, pass out and not wake up again until my flu had finally subsided.

It had been reported that many of the symptoms were covert, 19 were similar to the flu and only a test could determine one's positivity now this was early on during the first few months into pandemic pre-vaccine when everything closed down and a fear of the unknown was prevalent when masks and plastic gloves, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, paper towels could no longer be found in our stores and when we wipe down every piece of mail delivered to our homes.

The groceries that we bought in the shopping carts we used to gather our purchases we sanitized everything as best we could sleep much about this new virus was still unknown in the numbers of those dying daily as a result, well it was just staggering. Suddenly it seemed as if the sum of all fears as described in the book Andromeda strain was happening except now it was happening for real and so I can't begin to imagine how it must've felt for so many who are suffering from such severe like symptoms. Now had to leave the get into their cars and drive to a covert testing location, only to have to wait in line for hours. All the while feeling perhaps worse than the ever felt before. Waiting until someone in a sterile hazmat suit could record all of the pertinent data before inserting the business end of a couple of cotton swab sticks up their congested noses, but this is exactly what happened to hundreds of thousands of our friends, our neighbors and our family members who believed that the contract of this new and absolutely frightening virus including my brother Jimmy. He too had driven himself to a testing location at a local college parking lot feeling as though he were dying which as it turned out he was closer to doing at the time that any of us knew waiting hours, until finally administered his test. He was found to be positive for covert, 19, and I told whatever he needed he could call on me for help and a few days later, he did just that I didn't recognize the voice. At first, but my caller ID pretty much told me all that I needed to know Jimmy was in trouble understanding it was a challenge, but not so with the words that stood out above all others. Dr. and hospital Jimmy was stubborn like her mom and dad had been when they too were dealing with their own medical issues and for him to admit that he needed hospitalization will have to tell you that really scared me because aside from the sound of his voice, his mission revealed volumes regarding his failing health.

His house was only 10 minutes from mine, but the ride in the distance between us seem to be both too long, while at the same time too short. But minutes mattered and so speed was essential, while conversely a quick arrival would inevitably expose me to potential contamination sooner than later and admittedly, this frightened me a lot. But just then as I neared his home. I remember a story from long ago that gently reminded me of what really mattered in 1918, a boy with polio was abandoned by his mother and father Flanagan's home for boys walking was an almost impossible struggle so others living at the home often carry him father Flanagan. Upon seeing one boy doing just that. Asked if were difficult for him to do so and the boy replied heavy father. He's my brother, my brother to the hospital and afterwards. Back home I immediately disrobed on our enclosed porch of eventually depositing my clothing directly into the washing machine. A shower followed and so to did my uneasiness did my blue throwaway surgical mask to, as I had intended. How about my same times are expose myself to the virus while helping Jimmy to and from my vehicle or during a ride to the hospital later that night content for the moment that I was still healthy and that Jimmy was now receiving the best possible care began to realize that my possible exposure and contamination mattered far less then Jimmy's hospitalization and ultimate well-being, while the virus was raging outside and around the world.

My thoughts were neither global nor out-of-doors. Instead, they remained within the quiet comfort and safety found within my home and not so far away hospital room with the doctors and nurses were doing all they could to keep Jimmy from dying before going to sleep that night I offered a short prayer.

The final words so fitting now so familiar and heavy father. He's my brother and a beautiful job on the production by our own faith in a special thanks to Steve for sending Eric for sharing that story about brotherly love and about sacrificial love and worry about someone else's needs and cares more than your own.

Stephen rescinding his story, his brothers story here on our American story millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. If you're working past age 65. You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment.

Depending on your employer coverage. It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be this@uhcmedicarehealthplans.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives. I know everything about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent and company business owners to help you pass. State Farm is in your corner and on like neighbor. There call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious.

There's nothing more daunting and facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done can be overwhelming for anyone. If you want to get those larger laundry loads down right and get back to your life. Try all three clear maggot packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry all three clear mega packs are also 100% free perfumes and dyes and their dental and skin which is great for any family sensitive skin needs my family. We definitely have sentence again the next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation is. That's because this big pile of dirty clothes. All three clear maggot packs purchase all three clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types. This is our American stories and up next story you will forget. 1924 when Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin died. The Soviets preserved his body by placing them in a hermetically sealed glass coffin lesser-known, though, is that around the same time, Benton Harbor, Michigan religious colony called the house of David did the same for their leader is our own Monty Montgomery with the story of a robbery glass coffin and the local legend of the year is 1927 the place. Benton Harbor, Michigan, home of the house of David religious County, led by Benjamin Purnell who preach that if you follow his message and gave all your worldly possessions him you would never die. Unfortunately for Ben, though he contracted tuberculosis, she died from Chris Soriano with what happened next teaches that he was going to die so.

I and that's it was pandemonium is mass chaos at the house of David.

So Benjamin Wrapped in damp, warm towels for eight days.

Thinking that he was gonna rise again finally bring County corners and listen. It's been eight days. You either. The guy working at barium, but luckily for the house of David. They had the Soviets towards for inspiration during that process of having him wrap like that they found out process that linen in Russia had been used to involve and put his body body in a hermetically sealed glass coffin. That's what they did in their then Purnell set for the next 60 some years in his hermetically sealed glass coffin is massive mentioned the kid around him is the house of David window. The numbers due to the belief in celibacy that in 1988 twice the house of David diamond house got broken but the first time they ran quickly. The second time was these kids. These four case study of movement of the positive people they had sat out in the woods. There were local, they were in their backyard. Basically they figured out when the house of David people move back and forth around they came back in a particular day that they knew that there wasn't much movement.

Some days they cut a hole in the roof of the diamond house where they drop down and they spent the entire day stealing things so vases earn statues. Oil paintings from all over the world. Things came from the richest of rich people that doing those things disappear.

Well, one of the worst things that happened was they were satisfied with just items that were in the rest of the mansion. They want to see Ben because he's that's a big big big part of our local history is him and his body being in their and they found out that he was in his parlor.

There is a stone wall that separates the catwalk from the diamond house annex into his area and it's got a big steel bank vault door. Onyx is no way to get to that door and the wired electric wires like shock wires from the door. So even if you touch the door. Pride can go to heaven quicker somewhere right so they went back one of them was a contractor went back to his house, got a big ramming bar and they ran the whole stone wall in the they made it big before they could pull the rest of the rocks out and they could get the bodies through the hole and they got to his parlor where his tomb is that I interviewed those people. They told me personal. We got there it was like a pharaohs. So around the glass sealed coffin which is without that angle piles and piles of ring diamonds and rubies and necklaces and faces.

It was like what happened to this stuff when people came the beautiful thing that came with the couldn't have the right, they didn't know they just had to give away 12 they were saved. Majority of safe. So when he was very, very like like a feral so they took some things off of that. But the sad thing was, as Ben had 22 ^ diamond ring on his finger in a big huge diamond filled and Ruby filled white gold custom-made necklace house. David jewelers they wanted those things bad and they took the prybar ramming bar and pride.

This glass dome off his coffin, which is hermetically sealed can't be sealed again so they broke the ring off of his finger broke his finger in the meantime and rip the medallion off his neck and the 22 ^ diamond on his finger was one of the biggest in the world at the time so they got away got away with that break-in and it was advertised all over everywhere all over the country was a big deal. Finally, I interviewed the state police officer at my museum one day and he said Chris I'm the one that made the arrest. Tell me about it. He said we had we had pictures house, David had people have pictures of all these things that were in the diamond house and they said were me, my partner driving through Heights which is a rough part of God's in this area and we look over and in front of this trailer is this little nickel plated parlor stove with flowers growing. That was it right.

So they walked up to the door, knocked on the door and a lady answered and we love so that you have. You tell us where you or we can get something like that and she said will my fax gave it to me for some gift, but he doesn't live.

Here's his name and phone number by him. He gets busted he got loose lips.

They all know they all go down right so come to find out in both the people that did the job did the stealing and the police officer told me that what happened was because it was such a massive amount of things because it was so written about in the media they're afraid to sell everything so they took everything and divided it equally amongst them were, and then they would take a high one hit it like in the upstairs of his barn. The other guys hit it in a storage area and basement. The lady at Clawson lady hit it underneath her graph around her mobile home not sold anything that so they got all that stuff back, except the 22 ^ diamond ring with McCoy brothers appraised it like to half million dollars and the giant medallion which was appraised that over half $1 million. They found out that those kids took those southside Chicago and sold them to a jewelry dealer there like a swap guy for 12,000, and then he back then you didn't have to have anybody's drivers license didn't have to ask questions you just bought.

So he had taken the diamond and out and sold it to a Diamond Buying Pl., London for like 60,000. Supposedly they chopped it up and sold it off differently so it would be detected but that that's all gone now.

The scariest thing was the girl that told me the story.

She came in twice two days in row spent hours without saying one word. Finally I went up to her mom and I were there seem really fascinated by the story. Tell me why she said you want to know and she said, one that broke all my stuff is right here in front of her. If she was capable of get in this place so she went on to tell me the whole story. All the details of his so that I should filter mammoth panic killed in the in. She said Chris you know what I would do it fast hi I think I can buy get enough security system at this point and it's a big country. My mom used to always tell me as a kid explaining the unexplainable. To be on the fun and the weird in my goodness this is both fun and weird in my goodness, a guided tries to basically into himself and surround himself with jewelry. I always think of the great poem by Shelley Ozymandias and his heart is these guys and this one for the cult leader tried to talk about his eternal life and everyone else as well. A little something happened. He died and everybody else was going to die to the story of the strange, almost little cult in Benton Harbor, Michigan. House of David, dear, on our American story