If you got into bluegrass in the 1970s, you probably first became aware of Pete Wernick as half of the twin banjo tag team (along with Tony Trischka) from the New York State band Country Cooking. Or maybe you bought one of the first copies of his best-selling instruction book “Bluegrass Banjo” from Oak Publications. (Remember those flexi-discs?) … Read More
Here I am, 71 as of Feb. 25, and still picking the five. The “new Granada” I got in 1988 is 29 years old this year — older than Earl’s was in the 40s and 50s — and sounding nice with a calfskin head I’ve had on it since fall.… Read More
Pete scouted the recipient of the 2016 Brian Friesen Award. From the Deering Banjo website: “Sixteen-year-old Ashe County High School student Trajan Wellington was presented with the 2016 Brian Friesen Award at the MerleFest Jam Camp on Wednesday, April 27. … Read More
Rize, passed away from cancer in his native New Jersey. Mike was on the demo tape that led to the album that led to the formation of Hot Rize in January, 1978 — with Mike on guitar, age 22. … Read More
Author David Russell recently approached Pete concerning a book he’s writing on the influence of Earl Scruggs. Thirty years after writing the Masters of the Five String Banjo large chapter about Scruggs, Pete’s answers to Russell’s questions lets the reader in on some memorable aspects of his interactions with the man who changed his life.… Read More
Pete had the honor of presenting IBMA’s 2015 Distinguished Achievement Award to Steve Martin at the annual awards ceremony in Raleigh, NC. Enjoy these two videos!… Read More
Joining me for coffee this morning is Peter Wernick, otherwise known as Dr Banjo, so called due to a best-selling banjo instruction book that he wrote, and from his advanced educational degree in Sociology.… Read More
Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers’ strange adventures at the 2015 RockyGrass Festival are officially preserved in the mini documentary, Night of the Living Red.
The April, 2014 edition of Merlefest included a special event Friday called the BanjoRama. Festival talent coordinator Steve Johnson had thrown an interesting assignment my way this past winter: coordinating ten banjo players to do an hour-long set on the the Doc and Merle Watson Stage.… Read More
This article features his days at New York’s Ivy League school.… Read More