Charlie Lowe

Claimed by some to have been the greatest banjo player ever, Charlie Lowe was born in 1878 in the famed Round Peak area of North Carolina, a region known for its traditional fiddle and banjo styles. Lowe's clawhammer banjo technique featured a fast, accurate, and explosive double-noting motif that was highly influential on the next generation of Round Peak players, including Fred Cockerham and Kyle Creed. The key ingredient in Lowe's playing was speed, and when asked why he played so fast, Lowe would reply, "If you want to go to sleep, go to bed." Home recordings of Lowe have ...