Allen Shelton
Encyclopedia
Allen Shelton was an American
five-string banjo
player known for being a member of Jim & Jesse
's Virginia Boys since the 1960s. His picking style is described as "bouncy".
and Mac Wiseman
. He joined Jim & Jesse
and the Virginia Boys, and began recording for Columbia Records
on December 7, 1960. In 1966, Jim & Jesse
had an offer to record with the Nashville Symphony and Shelton left the band in protest. He retired from music business and began working as a machinist and welder. About ten years later he found himself once more on the road with Jim & Jesse
, making records and having a good time. He made his first solo album on Rounder Records
in 1976. In September or October 2009, Allen was diagnosed with Leukemia.
Allen died on November 21, 2009, according to his daughter-in-law.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
five-string banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player known for being a member of Jim & Jesse
Jim & Jesse
Jim & Jesse were an American bluegrass music duo composed of brothers Jim McReynolds and Jesse McReynolds...
's Virginia Boys since the 1960s. His picking style is described as "bouncy".
Biography
Shelton played the banjo from an early age. His father, Troy Shelton was a first class guitar player. In the 1950s, he performed together with Hack Johnson and the Tennesseans, and later, with Jim EanesJim Eanes
Jim Eanes was an American bluegrass and country music singer and guitarist.-Biography:Homer Robert Eanes Jr. was born in Mountain Valley, Virginia and grew up in Martinsville. He learned to play the guitar at an early age despite an injury to his left hand. He had his first musical training as a...
and Mac Wiseman
Mac Wiseman
Malcolm B. Wiseman , better known as Mac Wiseman, is an American bluegrass singer, nicknamed The Voice with a Heart. The bearded singer is one of the cult figures of bluegrass....
. He joined Jim & Jesse
Jim & Jesse
Jim & Jesse were an American bluegrass music duo composed of brothers Jim McReynolds and Jesse McReynolds...
and the Virginia Boys, and began recording for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
on December 7, 1960. In 1966, Jim & Jesse
Jim & Jesse
Jim & Jesse were an American bluegrass music duo composed of brothers Jim McReynolds and Jesse McReynolds...
had an offer to record with the Nashville Symphony and Shelton left the band in protest. He retired from music business and began working as a machinist and welder. About ten years later he found himself once more on the road with Jim & Jesse
Jim & Jesse
Jim & Jesse were an American bluegrass music duo composed of brothers Jim McReynolds and Jesse McReynolds...
, making records and having a good time. He made his first solo album on Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
in 1976. In September or October 2009, Allen was diagnosed with Leukemia.
Allen died on November 21, 2009, according to his daughter-in-law.