--- title: "8 Banjo Quotes By Bela Fleck" description: "8 Banjo quotes by Bela Fleck. Plus more from Bela Fleck and more Banjo sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo_472612.png" --- > [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo_472612.png) > [Being from New York, I wonder why am I inspired by bluegrass and Earl Scruggs? But when I look at the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-inspired-by-bluegrass-and-earl/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-in_632653.png) > [They think the banjo can only be happy, but that's not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/they-think-the-banjo-can-only-be-happy-but-that-s-not-true/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_they-think-the-banjo-can-only-be-happy-b_1494170.png) > [And then Earl Scruggs comes along and transforms the banjo into a virtuosic modern instrument. For the first time, the Southern banjo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/and-then-earl-scruggs-comes-along-and-transforms-the-banjo-into-a/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_and-then-earl-scruggs-comes-along-and-tr_2176605.jpg) > [There's a lot of hip-hop that would be great with a banjo in it. It would just groove like crazy, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-s-a-lot-of-hip-hop-that-would-be-great-with-a-banjo-in-it-it/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_there-s-a-lot-of-hip-hop-that-would-be-g_2432756.jpg) > [I first heard the banjo on the Beverly Hillbillies, and from then on I was banjo-conscious. But I didn't actually get one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-first-heard-the-banjo-on-the-beverly-hillbillies-and-from-then-on-i/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c4/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-first-heard-the-banjo-on-the-beverly-h_2592578.png) > [I think I'm getting better at being verbal. I used to have a lot of problems with it. I had my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-think-i-m-getting-better-at-being-verbal-i-used-to-have-a-lot-of/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-think-i-m-getting-better-at-being-verb_2621374.png) > [I think it is very ironic that most people think that the banjo is a southern white instrument. It came from Africa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-think-it-is-very-ironic-that-most-people-think-that-the-banjo-is-a/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-think-it-is-very-ironic-that-most-peop_2999720.png) ## Other authors on Banjo ## More by Bela Fleck > [So it doesn't have to be happy music to be inspiring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/so-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-happy-music-to-be-inspiring/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [Everybody should have a documentary made about themselves. It's amazing what you see and what you learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/everybody-should-have-a-documentary-made-about-themselves-it-s/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [When I play my own music, or when I play new music, there's much more stress and intensity of thinking about how I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/when-i-play-my-own-music-or-when-i-play-new-music-there-s-much-more/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [There is a tendency to want to isolate a little bit, from people that might look at me from a fan position, because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-is-a-tendency-to-want-to-isolate-a-little-bit-from-people-that/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [Being from New York, I wonder why am I inspired by bluegrass and Earl Scruggs? But when I look at the whole history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-inspired-by-bluegrass-and-earl/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [I think the Flecktones are a mixture of acoustic and electronic music with a lot of roots in folk and bluegrass as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-think-the-flecktones-are-a-mixture-of-acoustic-and-electronic-music/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [My most powerful memory was hearing Earl Scruggs on 'The Beverly Hillbillies' as a 5 or 6 year old. That sound just blew me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/my-most-powerful-memory-was-hearing-earl-scruggs-on-the-beverly/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [I learned that I'm so busy with what I'm doing, so focused on what I'm doing, that I miss a lot of opportunities for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-learned-that-i-m-so-busy-with-what-i-m-doing-so-focused-on-what-i-m/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [They think the banjo can only be happy, but that's not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/they-think-the-banjo-can-only-be-happy-but-that-s-not-true/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [I always try to work with people who are better than me, so I can learn more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-always-try-to-work-with-people-who-are-better-than-me-so-i-can/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [ I doubt anybody would have pushed me \[on the music\]. When I was at Sony nobody ever gave me any creative suggestions on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-doubt-anybody-would-have-pushed-me-on-the-music-when-i-was-at-sony/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [It doesn't have to be happy music to be inspiring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/it-doesn-t-have-to-be-happy-music-to-be-inspiring/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [Sometimes you can fix something that went wrong with what you do next and make it better than it would have been if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/sometimes-you-can-fix-something-that-went-wrong-with-what-you-do-next/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [And then Earl Scruggs comes along and transforms the banjo into a virtuosic modern instrument. For the first time, the Southern banjo style becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/and-then-earl-scruggs-comes-along-and-transforms-the-banjo-into-a/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/bela-fleck/#itemlist", "name": "8 Banjo Quotes By Bela Fleck", "numberOfItems": 8, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument. Then it comes to the United States where it morphs into the slave music that they created here, which was very African in origin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bela Fleck" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo_472612.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo_472612.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo_472612.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more…” — Bela Fleck", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being from New York, I wonder why am I inspired by bluegrass and Earl Scruggs? But when I look at the whole history of the banjo, I feel really good about it, including the Earl Scruggs part.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bela Fleck" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-inspired-by-bluegrass-and-earl/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-in_632653.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-in_632653.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-in_632653.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being from New York, I wonder why am I inspired by bluegrass and Earl Scruggs? But when I look at the whole…” — Bela Fleck", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They think the banjo can only be happy, but that's not true.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bela Fleck" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/they-think-the-banjo-can-only-be-happy-but-that-s-not-true/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_they-think-the-banjo-can-only-be-happy-b_1494170.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_they-think-the-banjo-can-only-be-happy-b_1494170.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/600/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_they-think-the-banjo-can-only-be-happy-b_1494170.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They think the banjo can only be happy, but that's not true.” — Bela Fleck", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And then Earl Scruggs comes along and transforms the banjo into a virtuosic modern instrument. For the first time, the Southern banjo style becomes the identity of the banjo, and everything from before is wiped off of people's consciousness by the power of that explosion.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bela Fleck" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/and-then-earl-scruggs-comes-along-and-transforms-the-banjo-into-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_and-then-earl-scruggs-comes-along-and-tr_2176605.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_and-then-earl-scruggs-comes-along-and-tr_2176605.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_and-then-earl-scruggs-comes-along-and-tr_2176605.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And then Earl Scruggs comes along and transforms the banjo into a virtuosic modern instrument. For the first…” — Bela Fleck", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's a lot of hip-hop that would be great with a banjo in it. It would just groove like crazy, and I hope I get to be one of the guys who does that, because it's coming. It's coming.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bela Fleck" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-s-a-lot-of-hip-hop-that-would-be-great-with-a-banjo-in-it-it/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_there-s-a-lot-of-hip-hop-that-would-be-g_2432756.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_there-s-a-lot-of-hip-hop-that-would-be-g_2432756.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_there-s-a-lot-of-hip-hop-that-would-be-g_2432756.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's a lot of hip-hop that would be great with a banjo in it. It would just groove like crazy, and I hope…” — Bela Fleck", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I first heard the banjo on the Beverly Hillbillies, and from then on I was banjo-conscious. But I didn't actually get one until my grandfather gave me one, almost by mistake. He knew I was playing a little bit of guitar. He saw a banjo at a flea market and bought it. I took it home with me and just never put it down. I was fifteen.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bela Fleck" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-first-heard-the-banjo-on-the-beverly-hillbillies-and-from-then-on-i/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c4/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-first-heard-the-banjo-on-the-beverly-h_2592578.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c4/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-first-heard-the-banjo-on-the-beverly-h_2592578.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c4/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-first-heard-the-banjo-on-the-beverly-h_2592578.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I first heard the banjo on the Beverly Hillbillies, and from then on I was banjo-conscious. But I didn't…” — Bela Fleck", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think I'm getting better at being verbal. I used to have a lot of problems with it. I had my own little demons that I was fighting, and I used the banjo as an escape.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bela Fleck" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-think-i-m-getting-better-at-being-verbal-i-used-to-have-a-lot-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-think-i-m-getting-better-at-being-verb_2621374.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-think-i-m-getting-better-at-being-verb_2621374.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-think-i-m-getting-better-at-being-verb_2621374.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think I'm getting better at being verbal. I used to have a lot of problems with it. I had my own little…” — Bela Fleck", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it is very ironic that most people think that the banjo is a southern white instrument. It came from Africa and even for the first years that white people played banjo they would put on blackface.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bela Fleck" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-think-it-is-very-ironic-that-most-people-think-that-the-banjo-is-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-think-it-is-very-ironic-that-most-peop_2999720.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-think-it-is-very-ironic-that-most-peop_2999720.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_i-think-it-is-very-ironic-that-most-peop_2999720.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it is very ironic that most people think that the banjo is a southern white instrument. It came from…” — Bela Fleck", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/bela-fleck/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/bela-fleck/", "name": "Banjo Quotes by Bela Fleck", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/bela-fleck/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo_472612.png" }, "description": "8 Banjo quotes by Bela Fleck. Plus more from Bela Fleck and more Banjo sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/bela-fleck/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/bela-fleck/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Banjo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "Bela Fleck", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/bela-fleck/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```