Don Reno

Don Reno
Birth name Donald Wesley Reno
Born (1927-02-21)February 21, 1927
Buffalo, South Carolina, United States
Origin Haywood County, North Carolina, United States
Died October 16, 1984(1984-10-16) (aged 57)
Genres Bluegrass Music, Gospel Music, Country Gospel
Occupation(s) musician
Instruments 5-string banjo, acoustic guitar
Years active 1939–1984
Labels King, Starday, Monument, Jalyn, CMH
Associated acts The Morris Brothers, Arthur Smith, Bill Monroe, Red Smiley, Reno and Smiley, Bill Harrell, Reno & Harrell, Frank Wakefield, Don Wayne Reno
Website www.donreno.com
Notable instruments
"Nellie," a 1935/36 Gibson RB-3/RB-75 flathead previously owned by Earl Scruggs,[1] 1933/34 Gibson RB-Granada banjo

Don Wesley Reno (February 21, 1927[2] – October 16, 1984) was an American bluegrass and country musician best known as a banjo player in partnership with Red Smiley, and later with guitarist Bill Harrell.

Biography

Born in Buffalo, South Carolina, Don Reno grew up on a farm in Haywood County, North Carolina. He began playing the banjo at the age of five. His father gave him a guitar four years later; and in 1939 12-year-old Reno joined the Morris Brothers in performing at a local radio station.[3] He left one year later to join Arthur Smith,[2] with whom he would years later record "Feudin' Banjos". In 1943 he received an offer from Bill Monroe to become a member of the Bluegrass Boys, but chose instead to enlist in the United States Army. Trained as a horse soldier at Fort Riley, Kansas, he was sent to the Pacific Theater to fight on foot.[2] He eventually served in Merrill's Marauders and was wounded in action.[4]

Influenced by old-time banjo player Snuffy Jenkins and others, Reno developed his own three finger "single-string" style that allowed him to play scales and complicated fiddle tunes note-for-note. The Reno style encompasses much more than just single-string picking; double-stops, double-time picking, triple-pull offs—all of these, and other techniques make Reno's playing recognizable. According to his son, Don Wayne Reno, "My dad told me more than once that the reason he started his own style of banjo picking was this: When he came out of the service, many people said 'You sound just like Earl Scruggs.' He said that really bothered him considering he never played a banjo while he was in the service, and when he returned to the U.S., he continued to play in the style he had always played before."[4][5]

In 1948, Reno became a member of the Blue Grass Boys. Two years later, with Red Smiley, he formed Reno and Smiley and the Tennessee Cutups, a partnership that lasted fourteen years. Among their hits 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". Included in this lineup was his son, Ronnie Reno, who played mandolin. Videos from those days are shown regularly on Ronnie's show on RFD-TV. In 1964, after the retirement of Red Smiley, Reno and guitarist Bill Harrell formed Reno & Harrell. Red Smiley joined Reno and Harrell in 1969, remaining with them until his death in 1972. From 1964 until 1971 Reno also performed with Benny Martin. In the 1970s he played with The Good Ol' Boys, composed of 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 at the age of 57. He is buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, Lynchburg, Virginia. In 1992 he was posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor.

Discography

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cushman, Charlie (2009-03-13). "Scruggs/Reno 1935 RB-3". Retrieved 2009-07-14.
  2. 1 2 3 Trischka, Tony, "Don Reno", Banjo Song Book, Oak Publications, 1977
  3. ↑ Wernick, Peter (2004). "Interview with Don Reno". In Goldsmith, Thomas. The Bluegrass Reader. Champaign, Ill.: University of Illinois Press. pp. 54–58. ISBN 0-252-02914-3.
  4. 1 2 Don Wayne Reno. "Don Reno". Banjo Tablatures and Bluegrass Information. Phillip Mann. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Biography". King Records. 2000. Retrieved 2008-12-09.

Further reading

External links

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