DEWITT “SNUFFY” JENKINS
- Born 1908 in Harris, North Carolina.
- He is credited as being the first country musician to play banjo using the three-finger style which was later refined and popularized by Earl Scruggs.
- A humble man, he never wanted credit for inventing the style. Said he didn’t know where it came from—but admits he was probably the first to play banjo that way on the radio.
- First band to have a three-finger style banjo: The Jenkins String Band.
- 1936, worked with J.E. Mainer’s Mountaineers.
- 1939, teamed up with fiddler Homer “Pappy” Sherrill and formed the WIS Hillbillies.
- 1948, formed The Hired Hands, a band name that he kept going until his death in 1990.
- 1960, he semi-retired from music and worked as a car salesman.
RECOMMENDED ALBUMS:
- Pioneer Of The Bluegrass Banjo
(Arhoolie)
- Snuffy’s Bluegrass
(Classic)