Barrow Wheary
Specializing in historical and old time banjo and fiddle and building historically-accurate gourd and tackhead banjos. Please don't hesitate to contact me at barrowwheary@gmail.com if you are interested in lessons, a custom made banjo, music for your event, engaging my services as a speaker or living history interpreter, or collaborating. Born and raised in Virginia, now making my home near Greenville, South Carolina, I travel and perform primarily in Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia.
Barrow Wheary
While on the trail of a tune, Calum Figheadair (or The Kilchattan Wedding) from Captain Simon Fraser's 1816 Collection “The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles” which strongly resembles The Parson’s Farewell from the 1651 edition of Playford’s Dancing Master, the classic collection of English Country Dance music, I happened on this outstanding performance. I am mostly certain the tunes are related and their original likely predates even Playford. A lot of this music has very ancient roots, and there are pieces in Playford which even bear a strong resemblance to tunes which show up in minstrel banjo repertoire. I am hoping to begin a series here soon exploring some of these connections through arrangements of popular songs and tunes from the 17th and 18th century on four string gourd banjo.
2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 2
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Barrow Wheary
Tintype I had made with @Yallquietendown at "Under the Ancient Oaks," a living history program hosted by Southeast Coalition of Authentic Reenactors (SCAR) at the Heyward House Museum in Bluffton, South Carolina. Thanks to Christine Eadie of The Charleston TinTypist, for the outstanding image. Christine is also the creator of the picture seen in my profile image. Wondering why the banjo is held upside down? Nineteenth century photographic technology created a "direct positive" or mirror image (similar to the negative we get in modern film photography). To correct for this, it was common for sitters to reverse their paraphernalia, such as musical instruments, military accoutrements, and other accessories, in order to appear more natural in the final image. Be sure to check out @Yallquietendown and subscribe to his channel and visit SCAR's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/scarfamily) to see photos from this event and more.
1 month ago | [YT] | 19
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Barrow Wheary
Give it a listen! And be sure to subscribe to @Yallquietendown.
1 month ago | [YT] | 3
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Barrow Wheary
I don't get enough opportunities to fiddle with a solid banjo picker like Old Scarecrow! If you don't already follow him, please go check out his channel at @Yallquietendown and subscribe. From this past weekend's event "Under the Ancient Oaks," an annual living history program hosted by Southeast Coalition of Authentic Reenactors at the Heyward House Museum in Bluffton, South Carolina.
1 month ago | [YT] | 6
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Barrow Wheary
"View from Pinnacle Station, Stokes County of Pilot Mountain, Surry County, Two miles in the distance” c. 1890: H.H. Brimley Collection, PhC.42, State Archives of North Carolina.
1 month ago | [YT] | 11
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Barrow Wheary
Dug up some old photos of a visit to Joe Ayers at his home in Fluvanna County back in August 2003. These were idyllic days. I was listening to Joe's music from before I can remember and I am unspeakably grateful to have had and still have him as a friend and mentor. There is no substitute for a good teacher.
Joe's house "Sandy Hill" was built in the 1840s and part of the larger Galt family holdings along the James River centered around "Point of Fork" plantation. Also pictured is a surviving slave quarters at "Sandy Hill" with original Buckingham slate roof. In more recent times, the cabin was home to Mary Scott, a much beloved African American midwife who served lower Fluvanna County for generations.
4 months ago | [YT] | 22
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Barrow Wheary
It was a real honor to appear in this film and have the opportunity to share the story of some of my Confederate ancestors. My interview at the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Sayler’s Creek appears 5 minutes 13 seconds in, but please take time to watch the entire film, give it a like, and check out and subscribe to Jacob’s channel. Jacob is an excellent period musician, a fine filmmaker, and a good fellow all around. I must confess, however, I never thought I’d appear in a movie called “All for the Union!” Well done, Jacob, and thank you for your work.
6 months ago | [YT] | 5
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Barrow Wheary
While many are aware that today marks the 250th anniversary of "the shot heard round the world" at the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, it also marks the 250th anniversary of the James River batteau!
On that same day, more than 600 miles to the south, brothers Anthony and Benjamin Rucker first launched their distinctive new boat on a tributary of the James River at the foot of the Blue Ridge in Amherst County, Virginia. Thomas Jefferson witnessed the event and wrote, “Rucker's battoe is 50 f. long, 4 f. wide in the bottom & 6 f. wide at the top. She carries 11 hhds. [hogsheads] & draws 13 1/2 [inches] water.”
True to Jefferson's description, the James River batteaux were flat-bottomed pole boats, typically 6’ wide, 40’ to 70’ long, and drawing only about a foot of water. These craft were specially designed to carry as many as 10 to 15 hogsheads of tobacco, each weighing in around a thousand pounds, over the shallow, rocky waterways of the upper James. The design was so successful that it was quickly adapted to streams and rivers across the upland South from Maryland to Georgia, revolutionizing the culture and economy of the Southern piedmont.
The vast majority of James River boatmen were African American slaves and freedmen whose labor was the lifeblood of Virginia's economy. Afforded greater independence than blacks in other lines of work, period accounts also testify to the cultural impact of these men, with the James River providing a fertile ground for early African American banjo traditions.
If you are interested in exploring these unique aspects of our country's heritage, join the Southeast Coalition of Authentic Reenactors (SCAR) for Batteaux & Banjos, June 14–16 2025, at beautiful James River State Park deep in the heart of the Old Dominion! Batteaux and Banjos is held the third weekend in June every year to coincide with the James River Batteau Festival, one of the country's most unique grassroots festivals, during which participants from communities along the river and beyond recreate the eight-day, 120 mile trip from Lynchburg to Maiden’s Landing near Richmond on functioning replicas of the original James River batteaux. Visitors to Batteaux and Banjos will be able to watch the batteaux up close as they pass by the park headed downriver on Monday, June 16. If you're lucky, they may even stop and let you step aboard!
See you on the River!
8 months ago | [YT] | 10
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Barrow Wheary
Step back to a time when life moved at the pace of the river and join us as we celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the James River at Batteaux and Banjos June, 15-17, 2024! Attractions include period music, traditional artisans, a circa 1845-50 living history encampment, a period church service and hymn sing, and more, all right on the banks of the historic James River. Last but not least, be sure to stay around Monday to witness the James River Batteaux Festival! The event is free and open to the public. All living history interpreters must be registered. hbwhea.wixsite.com/batteaux-and-banjos
1 year ago (edited) | [YT] | 4
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