Featured Musicians
Kurt Abell and His Rhythm Knickers (two members previously performed with Washboard Wizards)
John Wilder Professional entertainer and musician and show producer, he has performed throughout the United States, internationally and on cruise ships. Recently, John performed in the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat, Israel. John writes arrangements (charts) for entertainers - mostly those working on cruise ships. He formerly leased and ran the Gaslight Theatre in Folsom, CA where John produced musical revue-style shows. Currently John produces similar shows for conventions, parties and corporate events.
Charlie & Nori Tagawa and friends. In 2005, Charlie was inducted into the National
Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame. He began playing banjo and guitar at age
20 in Tokyo. He was a favorite with the Americans who heard him with the
Dixieland Dukes at Tokyo's Gaslight Club. A Bay Area restaurant owner convinced
him to come to the U.S in 1964 to entertain. He eventually became the
music director of the Peninsula Banjo Band, organizer of a great youth band,
and an outstanding performer at almost every Banjo-Rama in recent times. He is
joined today by his son, Nori, who plays an outstanding banjo, and with
Mary Horn on washtub bass. Get ready to hear everything from honky tonk to the classics.
Dick and Helen Martin. This wonderful husband and wife team has headlined
banjo gatherings all over the U.S.A. Dick plays either plectrum or tenor banjo and
Helen accompanies him with the sweetest washtub bass and voice you have ever heard.
Dick learned banjo with his dad's Southern California Banjo Band. The family moved
north to the Bay Area and Dick and Helen were members of the great Peninsula
Banjo Band. They are back in Sacramento due to popular demand. They now live in
Sweet Home, Oregon, near Mom and Dad Martin, site of the Annual Oregon Trail Camp.
Steve Peterson. When not working as a design engineer in
Silicon Valley, Steve spends much of his time practicing and performing his
plectrum banjo. He joined the Peninsula Banjo Band as a yourth. He has entertained
at many lounges and functions in the Bay Area, including Mariott's Great America,
Marine World, the Peninsula Banjo Band Jubilees. He has also been featured at
earlier Banjo-Ramas, at the Fretted Instrument Guild Convention and at the
Sacramento Jazz Jubilee.
Bill Lowrey. Bill joined the Peninsula Banjo Band in 1977. During his college days he
performed with the Salt Flat Five Dixieland Band at the Sacramento Jazz Festival.
He entertained at the Utah Jazz Basketball games. He was the opening performer for the Bob
Hope Show at the Provo Freedom Festival, was headliner at the Boise Banjo
Band Show and has played at Marine World USA, Scarlett LaRue's and several Peninsula
Banjo Band Jubilees. He plays both banjo and guitar with great skill.
Southtown Strummers are a high energy group focusing on music of the 1920s and Tin
Pan Alley with lively vocals.
Paul Doerner started with the Capital Kids four years ago. He has made tremendous progress and now plays regularly with the Sacramento Banjo Band. He has performed at several major banjo festivals throughout the country. He was recently recognized in the Fretted Instrument Guild Association magazine for his outstanding accomplishments.
Jack Convery. Born in 1954 in Wichita, Kansas, Jack spent his
childhood in Fresno, California. He learned how to play the banjo at the age of 12 and
he paid his dues by attending festivals and performing at pizza parlors. He was for many
years the musical director for the San Francisco 49ers. He won the 1973 award
fo the United Artist "Best Banjoist of Northern California." His success as an
entertainer has brought him into the entertainment booking business. Jack has
volunteered to help the Capital Kids, and Paul Doerner especially, in their quest
to master the banjo. Jack has just released his latest CD, "Beatles on the Banjo."
The Bands
The Capital Kids Banjo Band. Some of these kids are in their eighth year of banjo lessons provided by Peggy Lewis, assisted by Barbara Kampe. Some are new to the band and are performing for their first time. They are all dedicated to learning how to play the banjo. Thanks to the financial support of many groups, the banjos donated by numerous players, the wonderful cooperation from the parents, and the hard work by the youngsters, they are on their way to keep banjo music alive and well.
Peninsula Banjo Band. This band organized in 1963 to preserve the four-string banjo and its music. They ahve up to 70 members including plectrum and tenor banjos, as well as the washtub bass players. They have played for numerous functions in the Bay Area including Candlestick Park, the 50th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Black and White Ball, the Tech Museum in Oakland, and the Mayors' Convention in San Francisco where Mayor Willie Brown directed the band. They have raised over $180,000 for charities such as the Research Institute of S.F., the Stanford Hospital, Hospice of the Valley and the Ronald McDonald House. Charlie Tagawa is their music director. They meet each Tuesday from 8:00 -9:00 p.m. at the Straw Hat Pizza, 1535 Meridian San Jose. They hold a wonderful Banjo Jubilee each September with great banjo performers and bands.
Sacramento Banjo Band. This band has grown to over 50 playing members and about 60 Friends of the Band. They have been performing each year at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee in May. On the first and third Sundays of the month, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., they fill the Straw Hat Pizza Parlor on Mather Field Road with happy players, fans, and music. Last summer they performed a concert for the Tahoe Music Festival at Squaw Valley. In 2005 they donated over $12,400 to children's charities, including Shriners Hospitals for Children, the Make A Wish Foundation, W.E.A.V.E., Sacramento Children's Home, Red Cross, Salvation Army and other deserving charities.