Randy Barrett

Randy Barrett is a banjoist, singer, songwriter and luthier from Alexandria, VA. He discovered the five-string at age 13. His first banjo record was New Dimensions in Banjo and Bluegrass by Eric Weissberg and Marshall Brickman. He learned every note, then discovered Ben Eldridge, Tony Trischka, Alan Munde, John Hickman, Bill Emerson and other second-generation players. Since then, Randy has been working his way back to Earl Scruggs, who evidently was also quite important. Randy has taught banjo for more than 35 years, both in individual instruction and camp settings. He also plays clawhammer style and featured both on his recent solo banjo album Shake, Rattle and Roar on the Patuxent label. Randy is host of the notable series Fave Licks on YouTube. He is also co-author of Ben Eldridge’s new book, On Banjo – Recollections, Licks and Solos.