- Eric Weissberg
Eric Weissberg (born
August 16 ,1939 ) is an Americanbanjo player, best known for the theme from the movie "Deliverance ".Biography
Eric Weissberg went to the
University of Wisconsin-Madison , then theJuilliard School of Music . He joined an early version of the Greenbriar Boys (1958-59), but left before they made any recordings. He then joined The Tarriers, replacingEric Darling . The Tarriers had recently had a hit with "Banana Boat Song ", thoughHarry Belafonte had the bigger hit soon afterwards. At first Weissberg was taken on as a string-bass player but the group soon made use of his multi-instrumental talents as banjo player, guitarist,mandolin player and singer. At this time he was still a student at Juilliard. His first album with The Tarriers, "Tell The World About This" (1960) has a much rougher feel than the smoothly-produced sound ofThe Weavers orThe Kingston Trio . In 1964 he had to do one year of duty with the National Guard, but on returning, the group re-formed. In 1965 the group accompaniedJudy Collins on a tour ofPoland andRussia , but disbanded soon after. Judy Collins was sufficiently impressed to use him as a session musician on "Fifth Album" (1965) and several later albums.Commercially, interest in acoustic folk groups was waning, so Weissberg began his successful career as a session musician, playing on albums by
Doc Watson , Melanie,Billy Joel ,Bob Dylan ,Loudon Wainwright III ,Talking Heads ,Tom Paxton ,Jim Croce ,Art Garfunkel ,John Denver and others. He is chiefly remembered for the hit single "Dueling Banjos ", the theme from the film "Deliverance", produced byJoe Boyd and directed byJohn Boorman . There was also a hit album called "Dueling Banjos: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 'Deliverance"' in 1973, but the album was not all it seemed to be. Back in 1963, Weissberg had recorded an album called "New Dimensions in Banjo and Bluegrass" withMarshall Brickman (a writer who later received an Oscar for "Annie Hall "). The 1963 album was dragged out of the archives, and two tracks were removed. In their place was the hit single, and thus a new album was born. One of the original tracks, "Shuckin' The Corn" was later sampled byThe Beastie Boys .Weissberg still plays in folk festivals, and is almost as well known for his
dobro guitar as for his bluegrass banjo playing. He has also recorded withjazz musiciansHerbie Mann andBob James . In 1998 he joined Richard Thompson and dozens of other folk musicians onNanci Griffith 's album "Other Voices Too".Nowadays, he often tours with
Tom Paxton . They often play a variant ofDueling Banjos in the set, in addition to Paxton's material.Discography
* Single: "
Dueling Banjos / Reuben's Train" (Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell, 1973)
* "Tell The World About This" (The Tarriers, 1960)
* "A Live Performance Recorded At The Bitter End" (The Tarriers)
* "Folk Blues Styles" (1963)
* "New Dimensions in Banjo and Bluegrass" (Eric Weissberg, Marshall Brickman and Company, 1963)
* "Rural Free Delivery" (Eric Weissberg and Delivery, 1973)
* "Dueling Banjos: From the Original motion Picture Soundtrack 'Deliverance"' (1973; reissue of "New Dimensions")
* "Banjo Jamboree: Traditional Series" (1996)ession recordings
* "Fifth Album" (Judy Collins, 1965)
* "Live At Newport (1959 - 1966)" (Judy Collins)
* "Ballads From Deep Gap" (Doc and Merle Watson, 1967)
* "The Good Book" (Melanie, 1971)
* "Poems, Prayers & Promises " (John Denver, 1971)
* "Portfolio" (Ritchie Havens, 1973)
* "Rocky Mountain High" (John Denver, 1973)
* "True Stories and Other Dreams" (Judy Collins, 1973)
* "John Denver's Greatest Hits " (John Denver, 1973)
* "Piano Man" (Billy Joel, 1973)
* "Blood on the Tracks " (Bob Dylan, 1974)
* "Judith" (Judy Collins, 1975)
* "Final Exam" (Loudon Wainwright III, 1978)
* "Little Creatures" (Talking Heads, 1985)
* "Album III" (Loudon Wainwright III, 1990)
* "Heroes" (Tom Paxton, 1992)
* "Judy Sings Dylan ... Just Like a Woman" (Judy Collins, 1993)
* "Shameless" (Judy Collins, 1994)
* "Take The Fifth" (compilation; Bridget St John, 1995)
* "Other Voices Too" (Nanci Griffith, 1998)
* "Live For The Record" (Tom Paxton, 1999)
* "Times Like These" (Rick Danko, 2000)
* "Live at Wolf Trap" (Judy Collins, 2002)
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