Don Reno
Don Reno |
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Don Reno (b. February 21, 1927 Spartanburg, South Carolina - d. October 16, 1984) was a bluegrass and country musician known for his great abilities as a banjo player in collaboration with Red Smiley and later with Bill Harrell.
Biography
Donald Wesley Reno grew up on a farm in Haywood County, North Carolina and began playing the banjo at the age of five. His father gave him a guitar, and in 1939 he joined the Morris Brothers at a local radio station. He left one year later to join Arthur Smith, with whom he recorded "Feuding Banjos". In 1943 he received an offer from Bill Monroe to be a member of the Bluegrass Boys, but Reno chose to enlist in the United States Marine Corps instead. Meanwhile, Reno developed his own three finger "single-string" style that allowed him to play scales and complicated fiddle tunes note-for-note. In 1948 he became a member of Monroe's Bluegrass Boys. Together with Red Smiley, he formed Reno and Smiley and the Tennessee Cutups in 1950, a partnership that lasted fourteen years. Among their hit records were "I'm Using My Bible For A Road Map", "I Wouldn't Change You If I Could", and "Don't Let Your Sweet Love Die". In 1964, after the retirement of Red Smiley, Reno and guitarist Bill Harrell formed Reno & Harrell. Five years later Red Smiley joined Reno & Harrell and remained with them until his death in 1972. From 1964 until 1971 Reno also performed with Benny Martin. In the mid to late 1970s he played with the band The Good Ol' Boys, which included Frank Wakefield on mandolin, David Nelson on guitar, Chubby Wise on fiddle, and Pat Campbell on bass. Reno began performing with his sons Don Wayne and Dale in later years. Don Reno died in 1984. He is buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, Lynchburg, VA. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1992.
Reno was regarded as being an outstanding banjo picker with his own style. He never used a capo.[citation needed] Reno was also quite talented on the guitar, and was nicknamed "King of the Flat-Picking Guitarists".
See also
References
- Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick. Masters of the 5-String Banjo, Oak Publications, 1988.
- Description of Reno's Gibson RB3 banjo