Hey, Brother Brad. It’s time to really get on our sister to let you do your banjo thing at her wedding. Tell her that if she won’t do it simply for the sake of your happiness, she should do it for the memory of Arthur Smith, the fellow who wrote Dueling Banjos. He died last Thursday at the age of 93.
Smith also was a very active composer with over 500 copyrights including his 1955 piece Feudin’ Banjos which he recorded with Don Reno. In 1972, the song was performed as Dueling Banjos by Eric Weissburg and Steve Mandel for the movie Deliverance, going on to reach number 2 on the Hot 100, number 5 on the Country Singles and number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. At first, Smith wasn’t given credit for the composition but, after filing a lawsuit, his name was added as its composer.
I don’t think our beloved sister will sit by quietly while I intermingle Douling Banjos in with Here comes the Bride. I’ll have to try to arrange something with the piano player…Maybe we can doule like you and I did at Christmas.
1. The word you’re looking for is duel.
2. Do you know who the piano player is going to be? Can this person be bribed?