Best known as the creator of the world’s ultimate banjo, Geoff Stelling became involved in bluegrass while attending UVA in 1961 and got really immersed in it while attending Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN from 1968-1971. He witnessed the grand opening of the Station Inn and picked with everyone involved in bluegrass at the time, mostly playing the bass because of the many talented banjo pickers. After moving to San Diego, Ca in 1971 he began playing the banjo for San Diego Grass and Eclectic and then Pacific-ly Bluegrass before starting the Hard Times in 1975. Stelling Banjo Works was officially launched in 1974. Playing and building banjos has been Geoff’s life ever since. Click here to read the full story of Stelling Banjo as featured in Bluegrass Unlimited--March 2005.
GEOFF JUST HAVE TO SAY. YOU GUYS MAKE THE BEST DAMN BANJO ON THE PLANET. I JUST GOT THE RED FOX. JUST CAN'T SEEM TO PUT IT DOWN. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK GOD BLESS
Thanks for the add! I'm a resident of Afton myself. I own the 1 and only Red Fox Special... it is truly worth every single penny I paid. Go Heards Mtn!
Hi again Geoff. A million thanks for that add. Your banjos are 100% Masterpieces indeed, and your banjo playing is fantastic. Keep up the good work. All the best to you, your family and Stelling Banjo Works. I..m missing "The Stelling side" in Banjo Newsletter. Greetings from Spain. Angel.
Hey Geoff, I remember your SDG&E, Pacific..ly Bluegrass, and Hard Times days. By chance would you have any of the Midnite Flyer 45's for sale? And the Keep on Pickin'.....Bluegrass posters?
Participate In That Higher Evolutionary Space….* Do Not Hesitate……For We Are the Ones to Part the Waves…..* Beyond the Great Golden Rings…..* Remember …………* Within Each Breath …..Your Magic Sings…..*
Old Sound Logs
Deep Ground Roads Rust Grass and Weed Long in the Daze Wood Caught Sun Mornings Steam-Dew Lit Left Over Footprints in the Coming Snows Ice Crystal Crunch , Under Eyes That Dig For China Layer by Layer of Ancestral Memorized Code Hidden in the Dark and Amber Moss Covered Mist Ceremonial Sameness Beneath the Grit and Bone Space Chambered Hollows Winged Cast Cylinder Works Old Vein Mother Loads Foot Soft........Though the Tender Narrows Sanctuary Territory, Marked by the Water-Claws and Wind Hearts at the Ready Run Sounds of Eden Brook Bubbles in the Light.....High Accidentals Mirrored in the Wallows.....Spectral Reflectives... That Purple Haze of Jimi....* d.v.zdotz....*
HELP PUT THE STANLEY BROTHERS IN THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME!
Ralph Stanley has received many well-deserved honors in the last few years, yet one honor eludes him. While many of their fellow musicians and singers have been recognized by The Country Music Hall of Fame, THE STANLEY BROTHERS have been sadly -- some say criminally -- overlooked.
Jeanie Stanley, youngest daugher of Carter, and fan Kaye Hill have organized an on-going petition to change all that.
"The Country Music Hall of Fame recognizes those persons who have made a significant contribution to the country music field," says Hill. "The Stanley Brothers helped lay the foundation for what we have today. Their names deserve to be listed among greats like Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs, who have already be recognized."
You can join their efforts in one of the following ways:
Contact the CMHoF directly:
Mr. Kyle Young, President
Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
222 Fifth Avenue South
Nashville TN 37203
Or, if you prefer, you can send a letter to Kaye Hill, who will forward them to the HoF.
D. Kaye Hill
PO Box 2553
Harrisonsonburg VA 22801
Kay says, "a simple one-line note is all that would be required, but please remember to supply your name and address, and an email address if applicable. I will be collecting all letters and forwarding them to the Country Music Hall of Fame."
You are a banjo genius, I cannot thank you enough for what you did to the Virginian!! It is now, with no close second, the best sounding banjo on planet Earth. It is a lethal weapon! Thank you!!!!!
Thanks for the add.
Hey, I have this awesome banjo
with your name on it.
Golden Cross # 374 made in 1977.
Still sounds great.
Next time you come to Indiana i'd love to hear ya play it.
Mayhem on the Mountain 2007 is now a full benefit concert! 100% of the proceeds are going to be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in New York, NY. Please spread the word and we'll see you all in May!!
Hello from The Tims Family in North Carolina. Hope all is well with you Geoff. Haven't seen you since our jamming days at Bass Mountain. How's it going?
Geoff, thanks for the quality you put into banjos. If not, I'd still be in search of the ultimate banjo. Since owning this Virginian, I realize that Stelling is the Ultimate Banjo!!!
Sorry I haven't sent you any Oakhurst schwag yet but I haven't forgotten. My Red Fox and I just got back from a European tour and it served me well. Sounds great, thanks for the great banjo.
Zach
Geoff,
I have played this Stelling Virginian A LOT in the past 20 years since winning it at the 1986 "Alan Munde United States Banjo Championship" in Nacogdoches, Texas. It has meant more to me than I can put into words, but allow me to just say "thank you"!
