11. The banjo evolved in Appalachian Virginia
The banjo is derived from African instruments and banjos were made by slaves throughout the American south, but it was in the mountains of Virginia where the instrument first became a part of the American music scene. The modern five-string banjo was popularized in the area around Appomattox Court House, Virginia, by Joel Sweeney. In the 1830s Sweeney popularized banjo music on American stages, and the following decade he performed with his ensemble, the Virginia Minstrels, in Great Britain, where his performances and the instrument itself drew acclaim. Banjos spread rapidly across the United States from the instruments’ root in Appalachia.