Peninsula Banjo Band
Encyclopedia
The Peninsula Banjo Band (PBB) is an American
musical group and 501(c)3 non-profit foundation that is dedicated to preservation of the heritage and musical legacy of the four-string banjo as well as raising money for cancer related and other notable charities. Its contribution is in the form of music education (scholarships), frequent free public performances, and the hosting of an annual all banjo jazz festival. Formed in 1963, the PBB is known worldwide as one of North America’s premier banjo jazz groups that has headlined numerous times over it history and been the opening act for notable entertainers and musical groups of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. To date total charitable giving exceeds $200,000.
and Big Al’s pizza parlors in San Jose, California
.
In 1962 a group of Ray’s students approached him about forming a band. Ray agreed and an informal group was formed. As the group practiced together and improved they were eventually asked to entertain in public. They called themselves the Cupertino Banjo Band and the original nine members were Glenn Atkinson, Jerry Deerwester, Don Flora, Pearl Nicolino, Chuck Ray, Manuel Rodriques, Steve Sedlak, Sidney Steele, and Merle Wilhelm. Later, as the group increased in size, they temporarily called themselves the Golden Gate Banjo Band. Then in 1971 as acknowledgment that band members came from a much larger area than Cupertino they came up with the name Peninsula Banjo Band. The band included members came from as far south as Santa Cruz
and Burlingame
to the north.
was in Tokyo for the summer Olympics
and discovered a young devotee of Harry Reser
. This young banjoist was Zenzo Tagawa
. He was so impressed by Tagawa's extraordinary skill with a tenor banjo and versatility that he offered him a contract to play at his restaurant in the U.S.
After reaching the United States, Zenzo Tagawa was rapidly Americanized to Charlie Tagawa and soon after he was discovered by numerous restaurant patrons as well as other banjo players in the area. Tagawa played regularly at Sakura Gardens and its successor restaurant, Imperial Gardens, for fifteen years. On many evenings, one or another of Tagawa’s banjo or gutbucket playing friends would drop in to listen or to jam
with him. As word traveled of Tagawa’s playing skill, he was asked to join the Cupertino Banjo Band. He did so and soon became their leader in 1966. He has remained so for all but two of the subsequent forty-six years. Tagawa later became a banjo teacher that specialized in teaching young children and teenagers to play 4-string banjo.
corporation the group elected Tagawa as president. This filing was a first step towards gaining 501-c-3 non-profit status. The group was awarded non-profit status by the Internal Revenue Service
in 1976.
to make a professional recording of several of his virtuoso performances. That Charlie Sound is the result and is the only professionally produced recording capturing Tagawa's skill.
Jim Strickland in addition to having the band’s longest tenure as president, nine years, is responsible for the organization and production of the band’s first concert hall symphony
-style performance featuring exclusively the PBB. On March 28, 2004, the band performed at the Le Petit Trianon
Theater in San Jose, California
for just over two hours. Fans were presented a historical journey through the various eras of banjo music that was narrated by Strickland with a short verbal introduction to each piece and mention of its historical significance. Special guest performers were Bill Lowrey
, Kevin McCabe
, and Steve Peterson. The session was recorded and in keeping with band tradition limited edition CDs were distributed to band members.
There have been notable contributions by non-president band members as well. The late Gene Sandberg is credited with the restart of the band’s newsletter, titled “PBB News & Views”, in 2001. It was originally distributed in printed form and mailed to each band and auxiliary member plus selected fans and people in the banjo community. Gene compiled, edited, and published the newsletter for several years until retiring from his post. The duty was then taken over by Jim Strickland. Around the same time Strickland starting researching and writing a series of articles about the history of the music and lyric writers for the songs in the PBB’s library. These became known as the banjo music stories books.
Fund. Two members of the band were blind, Emil Hakkila and George Chung. Charitable contributions then and since have always favored those organizations having some emotional connection to the group.
In 1970, band member Keith Pinckney, the 10 year old son of fellow band members Bob Pinckney and 12 year old brother Doug Pinckney was diagnosed with leukemia. Keith Pinckney died from his disease a year later. During that time he was treated regularly at Stanford University Hospital
by Dr. Richard Wilbur, a pediatric medical oncologist on the full-time faculty. The band’s donations were made for the next twenty years to Dr. Wilbur’s research efforts at the Stanford University Hospital.
Starting in 1994, the band has broadened the scope of its donations to other kinds of groups and organizations. As band members became ill or passed away, donations were often made in their name to organizations or causes designated by their family. Some of these organizations include the Diabetic Society of Santa Clara, the American Diabetic Society, the San Jose Visiting Nurse’s Association, and the Ronald MacDonald House in Palo Alto. As of 1999, contributions to these various organizations reached $200,000.
The foundation portion of the organization, separate from the musical group, has established a scholarship program for banjo lessons and for washtub bass
(gutbucket) training. In memory of band members Ray Ferrie and George Seeband who bequeathed their banjos to the band, those wishing to learn to play the plectrum banjo are awarded a “Ray Ferrie Scholarship” and those studying tenor are awarded a “George Seeband Scholarship”. Both are granted the use of their respective banjos during the term of their scholarship if they do not have an instrument.
" has been the theme song of the band since roughly 1966. It has been the opening number for the PBB at every performance including weekly practices, jazz festivals, TV shows, and bookings since the 1970s.
The band's primary source of funds permitting charitable donations and scholarships has been playouts or bookings - “gig
s” in musician vernacular. The band’s popularity in this endeavor has varied considerably over the years, but since 2000 this has amounted to about two to four playouts per month. In addition to the standard and recurring array of local playouts, the band has enjoyed numerous unique engagements in around the South Bay; e.g., playing the National Anthem
at a San Francisco Giants
baseball game at Candlestick Park, the 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge
, the De Young Museum, numerous Cherry Blossom Festivals in San Francisco’s Japan town, Black and White Ball
’s, the grand reopening of San Francisco’s cable car line, for President Bill Clinton
and later Vice President Al Gore
at Democratic Party
fund raisers in Portola Valley, California, and the Conference of Mayors
(where then Mayor Willie Brown
directed the band for a short stint and did a little cakewalk
). The band was also on the program for the completion and grand opening of California state Highway 85
, the opening of San Jose’s McEnery Convention Center, the opening ceremonies of San Jose’s The Tech Museum of Innovation
(The Tech) and Martin Luther King Jr. library
.
Additionally the band has had several notable engagements where they were the opening act or participants in the kickoff of events. These performances include opening for Patti Page
(1981), the Captain & Tennille
(1982), the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
(2005), the Duke Ellington Orchestra (2006) and the opening ceremonies of baseball’s All Star Game
(2007).
The PBB has also had brushes with Hollywood and television celebrities. One notable encounter was a performance at a private party hosted by Mrs. Martin (wife of Glenn L. Martin) in 1988 where actor Jimmy Stewart was in attendance. It is rumored that Stewart, who was a close friend with Johnny Carson
, thought it would be humorous to play a practical joke on his good friend. Stewart's idea was to have the band come down to The Tonight Show
studios in Burbank, California
, stand-in for Doc Severinsen and the NBC Orchestra, and play the Tonight Show theme song for the opening of the show surprising Carson as he entered the stage. When it was found out that the band members of the PBB were not in the musicians union
, the idea was scrapped. That same year the band began to circulate a VHS
tape that contained a news segment from KRON
, Channel 4, in San Francisco, that honored and acknowledged the band’s charitable contributions and philanthropic efforts thus far.
Filmed in June 2001 (airing in October), the band was featured along with Charlie Tagawa
in a segment of the television show Bay Area Backroads hosted by Doug McConnell
and produced for Bay Area station KRON, an NBC
affiliate. The episode is archived on the San Francisco Chronicle
website SFGate.com. After the main segment, the episode closed with a short segment with McConnell singing "When the Saints Go Marching In
" with the band. This is in addition to numerous appearances on KPIX
's Evening Magazine
from 1976–1991 and other San Francisco Bay Area television shows.
The band made its first recording in 1975, The Peninsula Banjo Band presents - Just Because, released on an LP
(long playing) record. It recorded in 1981 More! More! More! which was released on both LP record and audio tape. Then in 1996, Just One More Time was released on tape and the then new digital format called a compact disc
(CD). A fourth was recorded in 2008, That Charlie Sound, and is the band’s most involved effort to date. The CD includes fifteen tracks by the main band and then features music director Charlie Tagawa
with a small combo that includes his sons Nori and Leon along with Bill Lowrey
. It embodies the Charlie Tagawa sound.
All four recordings are now only available as CDs. The first two recordings were reissued in 2002 as “Second Editions” using the original cover art and line notes from the LPs. This was due largely to the efforts of former Junior Banjo Band and current PBB member Chris Bracher. Upon his return to the PBB in 1999 after a nine year hiatus, he discovered that the band’s first two recordings were not being made available. With the master tapes from 1975 and 1981 misplaced over the years, Bracher worked with a sound engineer to have new digital masters converted from original, unopened LPs on loan from Charlie Tagawa
’s personal archives. Donations made in exchange for these recordings have regularly added to the band’s contributions.
(Canada) and Charlie Tagawa
(Japan).
The Jubilee also became one of the band’s most significant sources of contributions for charitable giving. The original intention was the donation of its profits to Dr. Richard Wilbur’s pediatric oncology department at Stanford Hospital
. In the early years of the Jubilees, Dr. Wilbur would often attend the Jubilee and speak on stage thanking the band for its generous contributions and support of his efforts to battle cancer.
Over the years, the Banjo Jubilees have featured a “Who’s Who” roll call
of the banjo and American jazz community. The format includes a mix of large bands combined with soloists. Repeat performers at the Jubilee include the Sacramento Banjo Band (the only banjo band older than the PBB in California) and the East Bay Banjo Band. Featured soloists are almost too numerous to list, but include Buddy Wachter, Béla Fleck
, Don Vappie (of Preservation Hall
in New Orleans), and the late Scotty Plummer
.
In 2009, the 37th annual Jubilee was held over a weekend in September in San Jose. It followed the typical format of previous years. There was a pre-Jubilee party Friday evening, a workshop and jam session
Saturday afternoon followed by a banquet that evening. The main show of the festival was held from noon to 5:00 pm on Sunday. The program played to an audience of roughly 900 and featured seven large banjo bands, two professional soloists, and dixieland band from Tokyo, the Banjo Stompers.
In 2010, the Jubilee was a benefit for Hospice of the Valley. An organization that it has been associated with and made contributions to since its inception in 1979. The headliner of the festival was a banjoist from Tokyo
, Japan
, Ken Aoki. This appearance was Aoki's U.S. debut. The 2010 Jubilee jazz festival took place on September 12, 2010.
In 2011, the Jubilee was a benefit for Japan earthquake, tsunami, and typhoon relief efforts and took place on Sunday, September 11. The headliners were Fred "Mickey" Finn with Cathy Reilly.
) players plus a Band Auxiliary. From its humble beginnings in the basement of the Cupertino Music Store, the PBB did not have an official public venue until 1966. Having outgrown the music store, a gentleman by the name of Ward Pinther offered to host the band at his Straw Hat Pizza Palace in Campbell, CA. This hospitality lasted for the next 24 years until Pinther’s retirement and the closing of the restaurant. Not to be deterred, the band moved to yet another Straw Hat Pizza restaurant in the nearby San Jose neighborhood of Willow Glen. So from 1966 until Tuesday, June 16, 2009, the band entertained crowds every Tuesday evening at a Straw Hat Pizza restaurant. During the band’s heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, it was not unusual to have four rows of twenty to twenty five banjo players performing plus as many as eight [gutbucket players and a tuba
. The sound produced by a hundred or more banjos is unique and unlike anything else in the world of acoustic performances.
In a change made to the bylaws in 2000, categories of membership were formally established. Playing members originally made up the band and were the only people who qualified to be Board members. Auxiliary members do not perform, but contribute to the band with their time and services. These services range from assisting with promotional mailings to staffing the Banjo Jubilee. A former member is someone who resigns from the band or who has not attended a practice or performance for at least three years. Both playing and auxiliary members have voting rights as long as they meet certain annual criteria laid out in the Standing Rules of the Bylaws. Former (playing) members are those who have not practiced or performed with the band for at least three years. An honorary member is any person who has made significant contribution to the objectives of the Peninsula Banjo Band and are elected after nomination by the Board of Directors. Honorary members may not vote nor serve on the Board of Directors.
In the summer of 2009 the band was faced with a serious problem. Their current venue announced that it was closing. For only the second time in over forty years the band was about to lose their weekly performance venue. A search was launched to find a suitable location. After a review of seemingly every “banjo friendly” establishment in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area
, yet another pizza restaurant owner offered to host the band. For a short four months Vito’s Pizzaria in Sunnyvale, California
was the home of the PBB. As word traveled of the band’s new venue, crowd’s often exceeded the rated maximum for the restaurant. The owner relished the large, hungry, and usually very thirsty audiences that the band attracted, but this was short lived. Citing the need for more space, the band set out to find yet another weekly performance venue. Retired night club owner and veteran band member Bob Lasley suggested that we give a different restaurant in Sunnyvale a try. In September of that year the band moved to a different location in Sunnyvale, Cabritos restaurant, and changed the day of their performances to Wednesdays. There’s a consistent audience with a large percentage being individuals who have attended regularly for years. Visiting banjo players and other performers are welcome to play with the group upon receiving permission from Charlie Tagawa
or the presiding band leader of the evening.
In the spring of 2010 the band made a format change to its weekly performances. Hearkening back to the band’s original Straw Hat Pizza restaurant era on Campbell Ave., the band again performs two sets. The first is conducted by Music Director, Charlie Tagawa
, in somewhat of a concert style that provides the opportunity for the group to hone its group performance skills. Then after a brief intermission for announcements band veteran and featured performer Bill Lowrey
assumes direction of the band when in attendance. Lowrey’s leading style is reminiscent of the second set jam session
s of the band's early days that were often led by former band president Terry Bull and included the singing of band favorites by Leo Campey and Carl Adams. These days it is Lowrey and band members Bob Lasley, Sam Morocco, and Joyce Taylor taking turns at the microphone along with the occasional guest singer.
The Auxiliary, formed in 1998, is an open membership exceptionally loyal and helpful group. The Auxiliary plans and produces essentially all of the band’s social events (e.g., Volunteer Appreciation Summer Picnic, Jubilee Jazz Festival Banquet, Christmas and Volunteer Dinner, etc.) and in addition has been the predominant force behind promotion of the band’s CDs. In 2001 the playing members of the band voted to include Auxiliary members as full members of the PBB with participation responsibilities and voting rights.
The band is currently governed by a seven member Board of Directors. Voting members consist of the band president, secretary, treasurer, membership director, music director, booking agent, and communications director. Other positions and duties are appointed by the president or Board as needed. These positions include, but are not limited to, the Auxiliary chairperson, Scholarship Committee chairperson, and Jubilee producer, formerly the Jubilee chairperson.
Board meetings are monthly and elections are held the first Tuesday of each December with instant inauguration of the new officers. There is no limitation on the duration one may hold an office, but no one may hold two offices at the same time. The Minutes of each meeting of the Board of Directors is published in the band’s monthly newsletter “News and Views” in which playout announcements and other items of general interest are published.
The band has enjoyed and benefited greatly from the efforts of numerous ambitious and hard working board members over the decades. Many of the bands members were (and still are) engineers, executives, and administrators from various Silicon Valley companies such as FMC, IBM
, Lockheed Martin
, and Xerox
. Record keeping has been fastidious over the years with the band still in possession of meeting minutes and the personal notes of individual board members going back to 1973. It is from these records that much of this historical narrative is derived.
One of the bands most valuable assets is its cumulative library of arrangements from which selections are made that make up its periodically changing band music book. In the early years the band book was a stack of over 150 hand written arrangements that was copied and handed off from member to member. New songs were distributed by the band librarian who maintains the master copy.
In 1996, then president Ray Ferrie, encouraged the authoring of a uniform and consistent band music book. Band member Joy Birdsley took on the enormous task of editing and producing the first edition. Then in 2000 after numerous changes and updates had been made, he took on the task yet again. This time the book was converted into a computer based music scoring program format and became a compendium of custom arrangements that is similar in format to many of the arrangements used by professional orchestras.
As noted on the band music book's first page:
The music book is comprised almost entirely by Charlie Tagawa
’s arrangements. In recent years, some band Librarians have created specialized books with selections of music for special seasons or performances such as a Christmas music book and special Jubilee music books.
The band’s sole released recording was the LP The Stars & Stripes Are Forever (1977). Several of that group have progressed to brilliant professionalism, for example, Bill Lowrey
, Kevin McCabe
, Scott Hartford, Bruce Jolly, Pat Dutrow and Nori Tagawa.
A highlight for this group was their two-week long trip to Japan
in 1974 during which they called themselves the Banjo Ambassadors. They traveled from Tokyo
in the north to Nagasaki
in the south playing at several points along the way plus appearances on TV and in the first Tokyo Banjo Jubilee. In 1975, they played at the Fretted Instrument Guild of America
convention in Atlanta, Georgia
. Tagawa treated the band members to a visit to Disney World in Orlando, Florida
before heading home.
The Junior Banjo Band performed in public regularly from 1972 until its last performance at the annual Banjo Jubilee jazz festival in 1985. The five remaining members took the stage at Cupertino’s Flint Center for the Performing Arts
. Chris Bracher, brothers Scott and Bruce Morely, Joe Wagner, and Tagawa’s younger son Leon closed out a 25 minute set to a standing ovation. Later that year two of the oldest members graduated from high school and went off to college thus ending that chapter of the band’s history.
In 2001 a Junior Banjo Band Reunion was held at the annual Banjo Jubilee. Former members from the entire thirteen year span attended. Due largely to Tagawa’s adaptation of the Suzuki method
for teaching violin in giving banjo lessons, in a practice session the day before their performance the group of twelve returning students synchronized their playing within the span of one song.
There is interest in starting another Junior Banjo Band with a new generation of students. A small assortment of student banjos have been collected and there is interest by many of the members to recruit from local schools and music programs.
House in Palo Alto, CA. He asked if they would be willing to start an auxiliary for the band. The then president of the band, Floyd Oatman, encouraged them to start one since it would be a great help to the band.
The first Auxiliary contribution was to sell tickets at the 1996 Jubilee. The Auxiliary was then officially recognized in 1997 at the Jubilee they sold tickets, helped with distributing the programs and welcoming the guests into the ballroom. The following are the founding members: Vera Adams, Bob Beavers, Eileen Daniels, Christina Gill, Art Henderson, Audrey Henderson, Ed and Maxine Ingraham, Jeannette Oatman, Bette Seeband, Burven (Tom) and Betty Thomas, and Barbara Wilson. Under the direction of the Board of Directors, the Auxiliary assists with the annual volunteer appreciation picnic, Jubilee preparation and production, the annual Christmas and volunteer appreciation banquet, and other events and activities.
The Auxiliary has had three chairpersons: Ed Ingraham 1997-2004, Gen Trovillion 2005-2009, and Phyllis Heeter 2010–present.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musical group and 501(c)3 non-profit foundation that is dedicated to preservation of the heritage and musical legacy of the four-string banjo as well as raising money for cancer related and other notable charities. Its contribution is in the form of music education (scholarships), frequent free public performances, and the hosting of an annual all banjo jazz festival. Formed in 1963, the PBB is known worldwide as one of North America’s premier banjo jazz groups that has headlined numerous times over it history and been the opening act for notable entertainers and musical groups of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. To date total charitable giving exceeds $200,000.
Formation and early years
The band that eventually became the Peninsula Banjo Band was formed by Chuck Ray in 1963. Ray was a music teacher and local musician in the South Bay area. Ray could often be found performing with his plectrum banjo at the Shakey’sShakey's Pizza
Shakey's Pizza is a pizza restaurant chain based in the United States. The chain currently has about 500 stores globally, and about 60 in the United States.-History:...
and Big Al’s pizza parlors in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.
In 1962 a group of Ray’s students approached him about forming a band. Ray agreed and an informal group was formed. As the group practiced together and improved they were eventually asked to entertain in public. They called themselves the Cupertino Banjo Band and the original nine members were Glenn Atkinson, Jerry Deerwester, Don Flora, Pearl Nicolino, Chuck Ray, Manuel Rodriques, Steve Sedlak, Sidney Steele, and Merle Wilhelm. Later, as the group increased in size, they temporarily called themselves the Golden Gate Banjo Band. Then in 1971 as acknowledgment that band members came from a much larger area than Cupertino they came up with the name Peninsula Banjo Band. The band included members came from as far south as Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
and Burlingame
Burlingame, California
Burlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame. It is renowned for its many surviving examples of Victorian architecture, its affluence, and...
to the north.
New band leader
In 1964 the owner of the Sakura Gardens restaurant in Mountain View, CaliforniaMountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
was in Tokyo for the summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
and discovered a young devotee of Harry Reser
Harry Reser
Harry F. Reser was an American banjo player and bandleader. Born in Piqua, Ohio, Reser was best known as the leader of The Clicquot Club Eskimos.- Career :...
. This young banjoist was Zenzo Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa is an Japanese-American musical entertainer, banjoist, and Japanese immigrant. His musical career has spanned six decades and he is regarded as one of the best banjo players and arguably one of the all-time best. He performs regularly across the U.S. and in Japan where he is known...
. He was so impressed by Tagawa's extraordinary skill with a tenor banjo and versatility that he offered him a contract to play at his restaurant in the U.S.
After reaching the United States, Zenzo Tagawa was rapidly Americanized to Charlie Tagawa and soon after he was discovered by numerous restaurant patrons as well as other banjo players in the area. Tagawa played regularly at Sakura Gardens and its successor restaurant, Imperial Gardens, for fifteen years. On many evenings, one or another of Tagawa’s banjo or gutbucket playing friends would drop in to listen or to jam
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
with him. As word traveled of Tagawa’s playing skill, he was asked to join the Cupertino Banjo Band. He did so and soon became their leader in 1966. He has remained so for all but two of the subsequent forty-six years. Tagawa later became a banjo teacher that specialized in teaching young children and teenagers to play 4-string banjo.
Non-profit incorporation
In 1974 in preparation to apply as a charitable nonprofit CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
corporation the group elected Tagawa as president. This filing was a first step towards gaining 501-c-3 non-profit status. The group was awarded non-profit status by the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
in 1976.
Past presidents
Succeeding presidents have included Leo Campey, Glenn Atkinson, Cas Stockard, Bob Delaney, Chuck Daley, Terry Bull, John Goulais, Carl Adams, Paul Nearhood, Tom James, Gene Ripley, Helen Wick Martin, George Thum, Ray Ferrie, Flo Lewis, Floyd Oatman, Steve Adkins, Jim Strickland, and Robert “Bob” Lasley of Scarlett La Rue’s fame. Notable contributions by band presidents are the overseeing of the band’s four recordings. Leo Campey got the process going in 1975 with the recording and release of Just Because. This was followed by a recording made by Tagawa’s Junior Banjo Band in 1976 with the assistance of Glenn Atkinson. Chuck Daley followed suit respectively with More! More! More! in 1981 and Just One More Time in 1996. In 2008 Jim Strickland accomplished what no other previous band president had achieved, he convinced music director Charlie TagawaCharlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa is an Japanese-American musical entertainer, banjoist, and Japanese immigrant. His musical career has spanned six decades and he is regarded as one of the best banjo players and arguably one of the all-time best. He performs regularly across the U.S. and in Japan where he is known...
to make a professional recording of several of his virtuoso performances. That Charlie Sound is the result and is the only professionally produced recording capturing Tagawa's skill.
Jim Strickland in addition to having the band’s longest tenure as president, nine years, is responsible for the organization and production of the band’s first concert hall symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
-style performance featuring exclusively the PBB. On March 28, 2004, the band performed at the Le Petit Trianon
Le Petit Trianon
Le Petit Trianon is a mansion on the grounds of De Anza College at 1250 Stevens Creek Blvd., in Cupertino, California.Built in 1892 for Charles A. Baldwin and his wife Ellen Hobart Baldwin, the mansion was once the center of their successful wine-producing estate where the couple was known to...
Theater in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
for just over two hours. Fans were presented a historical journey through the various eras of banjo music that was narrated by Strickland with a short verbal introduction to each piece and mention of its historical significance. Special guest performers were Bill Lowrey
Bill Lowrey (musician)
Bill Lowrey is an American musical entertainer and banjoist from California. He has been a featured performer or headliner at a variety of jazz festivals around the U.S. for over fifteen years...
, Kevin McCabe
Kevin McCabe
Kevin McCabe is an American economist and economic theorist who serves as the director of the Center for the Study of Neuroeconomics at George Mason University.Kevin McCabe received his Ph.D. in 1985 from the University of Pennsylvania...
, and Steve Peterson. The session was recorded and in keeping with band tradition limited edition CDs were distributed to band members.
There have been notable contributions by non-president band members as well. The late Gene Sandberg is credited with the restart of the band’s newsletter, titled “PBB News & Views”, in 2001. It was originally distributed in printed form and mailed to each band and auxiliary member plus selected fans and people in the banjo community. Gene compiled, edited, and published the newsletter for several years until retiring from his post. The duty was then taken over by Jim Strickland. Around the same time Strickland starting researching and writing a series of articles about the history of the music and lyric writers for the songs in the PBB’s library. These became known as the banjo music stories books.
Charitable giving
The earliest known charitable donation by the band was made to the BrailleBraille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
Fund. Two members of the band were blind, Emil Hakkila and George Chung. Charitable contributions then and since have always favored those organizations having some emotional connection to the group.
In 1970, band member Keith Pinckney, the 10 year old son of fellow band members Bob Pinckney and 12 year old brother Doug Pinckney was diagnosed with leukemia. Keith Pinckney died from his disease a year later. During that time he was treated regularly at Stanford University Hospital
Stanford University Medical Center
Stanford University Medical Center represents the Stanford Hospital and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and is located at 300 Pasteur Drive in Stanford, California. Stanford Hospital provides both general acute care services and tertiary medical care for patients locally, nationally and...
by Dr. Richard Wilbur, a pediatric medical oncologist on the full-time faculty. The band’s donations were made for the next twenty years to Dr. Wilbur’s research efforts at the Stanford University Hospital.
Starting in 1994, the band has broadened the scope of its donations to other kinds of groups and organizations. As band members became ill or passed away, donations were often made in their name to organizations or causes designated by their family. Some of these organizations include the Diabetic Society of Santa Clara, the American Diabetic Society, the San Jose Visiting Nurse’s Association, and the Ronald MacDonald House in Palo Alto. As of 1999, contributions to these various organizations reached $200,000.
The foundation portion of the organization, separate from the musical group, has established a scholarship program for banjo lessons and for washtub bass
Washtub bass
The washtub bass, or "gutbucket", is a stringed instrument used in American folk music that uses a metal washtub as a resonator. Although it is possible for a washtub bass to have four or more strings and tuning pegs, traditional washtub basses have a single string whose pitch is adjusted by...
(gutbucket) training. In memory of band members Ray Ferrie and George Seeband who bequeathed their banjos to the band, those wishing to learn to play the plectrum banjo are awarded a “Ray Ferrie Scholarship” and those studying tenor are awarded a “George Seeband Scholarship”. Both are granted the use of their respective banjos during the term of their scholarship if they do not have an instrument.
Notable performances & recordings
Although it was never officially noted, the song "Just BecauseJust Because
"Just Because" is a song by the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction, which was released as the first single from their third album, Strays in 2003....
" has been the theme song of the band since roughly 1966. It has been the opening number for the PBB at every performance including weekly practices, jazz festivals, TV shows, and bookings since the 1970s.
The band's primary source of funds permitting charitable donations and scholarships has been playouts or bookings - “gig
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
s” in musician vernacular. The band’s popularity in this endeavor has varied considerably over the years, but since 2000 this has amounted to about two to four playouts per month. In addition to the standard and recurring array of local playouts, the band has enjoyed numerous unique engagements in around the South Bay; e.g., playing the National Anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
at a San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
baseball game at Candlestick Park, the 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
, the De Young Museum, numerous Cherry Blossom Festivals in San Francisco’s Japan town, Black and White Ball
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
’s, the grand reopening of San Francisco’s cable car line, for President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and later Vice President Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
at Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
fund raisers in Portola Valley, California, and the Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors, sometimes referred to as the United States Council of Mayors, is the official non-partisan organization for cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayor or other chief elected official...
(where then Mayor Willie Brown
Willie Brown (politician)
Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served over 30 years in the California State Assembly, spending 15 years as its Speaker, and afterward served as the 41st mayor of San Francisco, the first African American to do so...
directed the band for a short stint and did a little cakewalk
Cakewalk
The Cakewalk dance was developed from a "Prize Walk" done in the days of slavery, generally at get-togethers on plantations in the Southern United States. Alternative names for the original form of the dance were "chalkline-walk", and the "walk-around"...
). The band was also on the program for the completion and grand opening of California state Highway 85
California State Route 85
State Route 85 is a freeway which connects Mountain View and southern San Jose. The entire freeway is named the West Valley Freeway. The majority of the route is also named the Norman Y. Mineta Highway, with the exception of the portion of Highway 85 passing through Saratoga which is named the CHP...
, the opening of San Jose’s McEnery Convention Center, the opening ceremonies of San Jose’s The Tech Museum of Innovation
The Tech Museum of Innovation
The Tech Museum of Innovation, or simply The Tech, is a museum located in the heart of Silicon Valley, in downtown San Jose, California USA.-History:...
(The Tech) and Martin Luther King Jr. library
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library is a 136 foot tall public library in Downtown San Jose, California, United States that opened on August 1, 2003. As of 2007, it is the largest library building in the western United States built in a single construction project with over 475,000 square feet ...
.
Additionally the band has had several notable engagements where they were the opening act or participants in the kickoff of events. These performances include opening for Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
(1981), the Captain & Tennille
Captain & Tennille
Captain & Tennille are American pop music recording artists who achieved chart success from 1975 to 1980. The duo consists of husband and wife duo "Captain" Daryl Dragon , and Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille . They are best known for their singles "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Do That to Me...
(1982), the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Preservation Hall Jazz Band is the name for numerous groups of Dixieland Jazz and traditional jazz bands at Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana, and on tours as organized by the Preservation Hall...
(2005), the Duke Ellington Orchestra (2006) and the opening ceremonies of baseball’s All Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
(2007).
The PBB has also had brushes with Hollywood and television celebrities. One notable encounter was a performance at a private party hosted by Mrs. Martin (wife of Glenn L. Martin) in 1988 where actor Jimmy Stewart was in attendance. It is rumored that Stewart, who was a close friend with Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
, thought it would be humorous to play a practical joke on his good friend. Stewart's idea was to have the band come down to The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
studios in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, stand-in for Doc Severinsen and the NBC Orchestra, and play the Tonight Show theme song for the opening of the show surprising Carson as he entered the stage. When it was found out that the band members of the PBB were not in the musicians union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, the idea was scrapped. That same year the band began to circulate a VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tape that contained a news segment from KRON
KRON-TV
KRON-TV, virtual channel 4 , is a television station in San Francisco, California, serving as the Bay Area affiliate of the MyNetworkTV programming service; the station is owned by Young Broadcasting...
, Channel 4, in San Francisco, that honored and acknowledged the band’s charitable contributions and philanthropic efforts thus far.
Filmed in June 2001 (airing in October), the band was featured along with Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa is an Japanese-American musical entertainer, banjoist, and Japanese immigrant. His musical career has spanned six decades and he is regarded as one of the best banjo players and arguably one of the all-time best. He performs regularly across the U.S. and in Japan where he is known...
in a segment of the television show Bay Area Backroads hosted by Doug McConnell
Doug McConnell
Doug McConnell is a television journalist who has focused on environmental issues, with programs on the air continuously since 1982. He has created, produced and hosted many series, special programs, and news projects for local, national and international distribution...
and produced for Bay Area station KRON, an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate. The episode is archived on the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
website SFGate.com. After the main segment, the episode closed with a short segment with McConnell singing "When the Saints Go Marching In
When the Saints Go Marching In
"When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as "The Saints", is an American gospel hymn that has taken on certain aspects of folk music. The precise origins of the song are not known. Though it originated as a spiritual, today people are more likely to hear it played by a jazz band...
" with the band. This is in addition to numerous appearances on KPIX
KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in San Francisco, California. Through its parent company CBS Corporation, KPIX is co-owned with The CW affiliate KBCW-TV ....
's Evening Magazine
Evening Magazine
Evening Magazine is the name of various news and entertainment style local television shows in different markets.-The original concept:...
from 1976–1991 and other San Francisco Bay Area television shows.
The band made its first recording in 1975, The Peninsula Banjo Band presents - Just Because, released on an LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
(long playing) record. It recorded in 1981 More! More! More! which was released on both LP record and audio tape. Then in 1996, Just One More Time was released on tape and the then new digital format called a compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
(CD). A fourth was recorded in 2008, That Charlie Sound, and is the band’s most involved effort to date. The CD includes fifteen tracks by the main band and then features music director Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa is an Japanese-American musical entertainer, banjoist, and Japanese immigrant. His musical career has spanned six decades and he is regarded as one of the best banjo players and arguably one of the all-time best. He performs regularly across the U.S. and in Japan where he is known...
with a small combo that includes his sons Nori and Leon along with Bill Lowrey
Bill Lowrey (musician)
Bill Lowrey is an American musical entertainer and banjoist from California. He has been a featured performer or headliner at a variety of jazz festivals around the U.S. for over fifteen years...
. It embodies the Charlie Tagawa sound.
All four recordings are now only available as CDs. The first two recordings were reissued in 2002 as “Second Editions” using the original cover art and line notes from the LPs. This was due largely to the efforts of former Junior Banjo Band and current PBB member Chris Bracher. Upon his return to the PBB in 1999 after a nine year hiatus, he discovered that the band’s first two recordings were not being made available. With the master tapes from 1975 and 1981 misplaced over the years, Bracher worked with a sound engineer to have new digital masters converted from original, unopened LPs on loan from Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa is an Japanese-American musical entertainer, banjoist, and Japanese immigrant. His musical career has spanned six decades and he is regarded as one of the best banjo players and arguably one of the all-time best. He performs regularly across the U.S. and in Japan where he is known...
’s personal archives. Donations made in exchange for these recordings have regularly added to the band’s contributions.
The Banjo Jubilee Jazz Festival
In 1972 the band started preparations for the first of a series of annual banjo celebrations. This annual show debuted in 1973 in Palo Alto, California and became the band’s premiere musical event to showcase the banjo talent of the world to the San Francisco Bay Area. The band also sponsored its 1st International Banjo Jubilee in San Jose in 1975. Headliners included Peter Meyer (Germany), Clem Vickery (England), Maurice BolyerMaurice Bolyer
Maurice Bolyer , born Maurice Beaulieu, was a composer and musician known as “Canada's King of the Banjo”.Bolyer was born in Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada...
(Canada) and Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa is an Japanese-American musical entertainer, banjoist, and Japanese immigrant. His musical career has spanned six decades and he is regarded as one of the best banjo players and arguably one of the all-time best. He performs regularly across the U.S. and in Japan where he is known...
(Japan).
The Jubilee also became one of the band’s most significant sources of contributions for charitable giving. The original intention was the donation of its profits to Dr. Richard Wilbur’s pediatric oncology department at Stanford Hospital
Stanford University Medical Center
Stanford University Medical Center represents the Stanford Hospital and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and is located at 300 Pasteur Drive in Stanford, California. Stanford Hospital provides both general acute care services and tertiary medical care for patients locally, nationally and...
. In the early years of the Jubilees, Dr. Wilbur would often attend the Jubilee and speak on stage thanking the band for its generous contributions and support of his efforts to battle cancer.
Over the years, the Banjo Jubilees have featured a “Who’s Who” roll call
Roll call
Roll call is the calling of the names of people from a list to determine the presence or absence of the listed people . The term applies to the calling itself, to the time moment of this procedure, and to a military signal that announces it Roll call is the calling of the names of people from a...
of the banjo and American jazz community. The format includes a mix of large bands combined with soloists. Repeat performers at the Jubilee include the Sacramento Banjo Band (the only banjo band older than the PBB in California) and the East Bay Banjo Band. Featured soloists are almost too numerous to list, but include Buddy Wachter, Béla Fleck
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
, Don Vappie (of Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall is a noted jazz performance hall located at 726 St. Peter Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It hosts nightly concerts featuring a rotating roster of bands. The bands of Preservation Hall typically perform jazz in the New Orleans style.Despite the fame of the...
in New Orleans), and the late Scotty Plummer
Scotty Plummer
Scotty Plummer was a highly regarded banjo player who made a name for himself as a youngster in both the United States and Canada and earned the title "Prince of Banjo"...
.
In 2009, the 37th annual Jubilee was held over a weekend in September in San Jose. It followed the typical format of previous years. There was a pre-Jubilee party Friday evening, a workshop and jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
Saturday afternoon followed by a banquet that evening. The main show of the festival was held from noon to 5:00 pm on Sunday. The program played to an audience of roughly 900 and featured seven large banjo bands, two professional soloists, and dixieland band from Tokyo, the Banjo Stompers.
In 2010, the Jubilee was a benefit for Hospice of the Valley. An organization that it has been associated with and made contributions to since its inception in 1979. The headliner of the festival was a banjoist from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Ken Aoki. This appearance was Aoki's U.S. debut. The 2010 Jubilee jazz festival took place on September 12, 2010.
In 2011, the Jubilee was a benefit for Japan earthquake, tsunami, and typhoon relief efforts and took place on Sunday, September 11. The headliners were Fred "Mickey" Finn with Cathy Reilly.
Members and public practices
Membership has varied from the original nine banjo players to well over a hundred. It includes both banjo and gut bucket (washtub bassWashtub bass
The washtub bass, or "gutbucket", is a stringed instrument used in American folk music that uses a metal washtub as a resonator. Although it is possible for a washtub bass to have four or more strings and tuning pegs, traditional washtub basses have a single string whose pitch is adjusted by...
) players plus a Band Auxiliary. From its humble beginnings in the basement of the Cupertino Music Store, the PBB did not have an official public venue until 1966. Having outgrown the music store, a gentleman by the name of Ward Pinther offered to host the band at his Straw Hat Pizza Palace in Campbell, CA. This hospitality lasted for the next 24 years until Pinther’s retirement and the closing of the restaurant. Not to be deterred, the band moved to yet another Straw Hat Pizza restaurant in the nearby San Jose neighborhood of Willow Glen. So from 1966 until Tuesday, June 16, 2009, the band entertained crowds every Tuesday evening at a Straw Hat Pizza restaurant. During the band’s heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, it was not unusual to have four rows of twenty to twenty five banjo players performing plus as many as eight [gutbucket players and a tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
. The sound produced by a hundred or more banjos is unique and unlike anything else in the world of acoustic performances.
In a change made to the bylaws in 2000, categories of membership were formally established. Playing members originally made up the band and were the only people who qualified to be Board members. Auxiliary members do not perform, but contribute to the band with their time and services. These services range from assisting with promotional mailings to staffing the Banjo Jubilee. A former member is someone who resigns from the band or who has not attended a practice or performance for at least three years. Both playing and auxiliary members have voting rights as long as they meet certain annual criteria laid out in the Standing Rules of the Bylaws. Former (playing) members are those who have not practiced or performed with the band for at least three years. An honorary member is any person who has made significant contribution to the objectives of the Peninsula Banjo Band and are elected after nomination by the Board of Directors. Honorary members may not vote nor serve on the Board of Directors.
In the summer of 2009 the band was faced with a serious problem. Their current venue announced that it was closing. For only the second time in over forty years the band was about to lose their weekly performance venue. A search was launched to find a suitable location. After a review of seemingly every “banjo friendly” establishment in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, yet another pizza restaurant owner offered to host the band. For a short four months Vito’s Pizzaria in Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
was the home of the PBB. As word traveled of the band’s new venue, crowd’s often exceeded the rated maximum for the restaurant. The owner relished the large, hungry, and usually very thirsty audiences that the band attracted, but this was short lived. Citing the need for more space, the band set out to find yet another weekly performance venue. Retired night club owner and veteran band member Bob Lasley suggested that we give a different restaurant in Sunnyvale a try. In September of that year the band moved to a different location in Sunnyvale, Cabritos restaurant, and changed the day of their performances to Wednesdays. There’s a consistent audience with a large percentage being individuals who have attended regularly for years. Visiting banjo players and other performers are welcome to play with the group upon receiving permission from Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa is an Japanese-American musical entertainer, banjoist, and Japanese immigrant. His musical career has spanned six decades and he is regarded as one of the best banjo players and arguably one of the all-time best. He performs regularly across the U.S. and in Japan where he is known...
or the presiding band leader of the evening.
In the spring of 2010 the band made a format change to its weekly performances. Hearkening back to the band’s original Straw Hat Pizza restaurant era on Campbell Ave., the band again performs two sets. The first is conducted by Music Director, Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa is an Japanese-American musical entertainer, banjoist, and Japanese immigrant. His musical career has spanned six decades and he is regarded as one of the best banjo players and arguably one of the all-time best. He performs regularly across the U.S. and in Japan where he is known...
, in somewhat of a concert style that provides the opportunity for the group to hone its group performance skills. Then after a brief intermission for announcements band veteran and featured performer Bill Lowrey
Bill Lowrey (musician)
Bill Lowrey is an American musical entertainer and banjoist from California. He has been a featured performer or headliner at a variety of jazz festivals around the U.S. for over fifteen years...
assumes direction of the band when in attendance. Lowrey’s leading style is reminiscent of the second set jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
s of the band's early days that were often led by former band president Terry Bull and included the singing of band favorites by Leo Campey and Carl Adams. These days it is Lowrey and band members Bob Lasley, Sam Morocco, and Joyce Taylor taking turns at the microphone along with the occasional guest singer.
The Auxiliary, formed in 1998, is an open membership exceptionally loyal and helpful group. The Auxiliary plans and produces essentially all of the band’s social events (e.g., Volunteer Appreciation Summer Picnic, Jubilee Jazz Festival Banquet, Christmas and Volunteer Dinner, etc.) and in addition has been the predominant force behind promotion of the band’s CDs. In 2001 the playing members of the band voted to include Auxiliary members as full members of the PBB with participation responsibilities and voting rights.
Structure and foundation
In 1972 the band began efforts to incorporate as a California non-profit corporation and in preparation for filing to be recognized as a non-profit by the IRS. Articles of incorporation and bylaws were drafted and by a vote of the band membership adopted in 1974.The band is currently governed by a seven member Board of Directors. Voting members consist of the band president, secretary, treasurer, membership director, music director, booking agent, and communications director. Other positions and duties are appointed by the president or Board as needed. These positions include, but are not limited to, the Auxiliary chairperson, Scholarship Committee chairperson, and Jubilee producer, formerly the Jubilee chairperson.
Board meetings are monthly and elections are held the first Tuesday of each December with instant inauguration of the new officers. There is no limitation on the duration one may hold an office, but no one may hold two offices at the same time. The Minutes of each meeting of the Board of Directors is published in the band’s monthly newsletter “News and Views” in which playout announcements and other items of general interest are published.
The band has enjoyed and benefited greatly from the efforts of numerous ambitious and hard working board members over the decades. Many of the bands members were (and still are) engineers, executives, and administrators from various Silicon Valley companies such as FMC, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, and Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
. Record keeping has been fastidious over the years with the band still in possession of meeting minutes and the personal notes of individual board members going back to 1973. It is from these records that much of this historical narrative is derived.
One of the bands most valuable assets is its cumulative library of arrangements from which selections are made that make up its periodically changing band music book. In the early years the band book was a stack of over 150 hand written arrangements that was copied and handed off from member to member. New songs were distributed by the band librarian who maintains the master copy.
In 1996, then president Ray Ferrie, encouraged the authoring of a uniform and consistent band music book. Band member Joy Birdsley took on the enormous task of editing and producing the first edition. Then in 2000 after numerous changes and updates had been made, he took on the task yet again. This time the book was converted into a computer based music scoring program format and became a compendium of custom arrangements that is similar in format to many of the arrangements used by professional orchestras.
As noted on the band music book's first page:
- “This book is intended for the use of the members of the Peninsula Banjo Band for instruction & training and to provide consistency & uniformity in the playing of music for practice sessions and curing public performances. This book is furnished free to band members and is not for sale.
- “This book is dedicated to the late Ray Ferrie, who was instrumental, as president of the PBB in 1996, in encouraging and authorizing the first edition of a bound book of music for the PBB. This book is also dedicated to (the late) Joy Birdsley who edited and produced that first edition and who was in the process of producing this, the (2000) second edition, until he had to withdraw for health reasons.”
The music book is comprised almost entirely by Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa
Charlie Tagawa is an Japanese-American musical entertainer, banjoist, and Japanese immigrant. His musical career has spanned six decades and he is regarded as one of the best banjo players and arguably one of the all-time best. He performs regularly across the U.S. and in Japan where he is known...
’s arrangements. In recent years, some band Librarians have created specialized books with selections of music for special seasons or performances such as a Christmas music book and special Jubilee music books.
Junior Banjo Band era: 1972 - 1985
Similar to Chuck Ray's early efforts, a several of Tagawa's students formed a band in order to extend their skills with the banjo. The members ranged in age from 6 to 17 and included banjos, guitars, a piano, and both stand-up and washtub basses. Soon after Charlie Tagawa became group's leader and continued to lead and teach the group through the mid-1980s. This group, too, was asked to perform in public at which time they chose to go by the name Charlie Tagawa's Junior Banjo Band. The band also regularly performed at the same Straw Hat Pizza Parlor in Campbell as the Peninsula Banjo Band on Thursday evenings.The band’s sole released recording was the LP The Stars & Stripes Are Forever (1977). Several of that group have progressed to brilliant professionalism, for example, Bill Lowrey
Bill Lowrey (musician)
Bill Lowrey is an American musical entertainer and banjoist from California. He has been a featured performer or headliner at a variety of jazz festivals around the U.S. for over fifteen years...
, Kevin McCabe
Kevin McCabe
Kevin McCabe is an American economist and economic theorist who serves as the director of the Center for the Study of Neuroeconomics at George Mason University.Kevin McCabe received his Ph.D. in 1985 from the University of Pennsylvania...
, Scott Hartford, Bruce Jolly, Pat Dutrow and Nori Tagawa.
A highlight for this group was their two-week long trip to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1974 during which they called themselves the Banjo Ambassadors. They traveled from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in the north to Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
in the south playing at several points along the way plus appearances on TV and in the first Tokyo Banjo Jubilee. In 1975, they played at the Fretted Instrument Guild of America
Fretted Instrument Guild of America
The Fretted Instrument Guild of America, also known as FIGA, is a non-profit international musical organization that was founded in 1957. Its membership consists of approximately 2000 people who consider themselves banjo, guitar, mandolin, ukulele and related fretted musical instrument players...
convention in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Tagawa treated the band members to a visit to Disney World in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
before heading home.
The Junior Banjo Band performed in public regularly from 1972 until its last performance at the annual Banjo Jubilee jazz festival in 1985. The five remaining members took the stage at Cupertino’s Flint Center for the Performing Arts
De Anza College
De Anza College is a community college located in Cupertino, California. It was founded in 1967 on the site of the Beaulieu Winery and is named after the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza...
. Chris Bracher, brothers Scott and Bruce Morely, Joe Wagner, and Tagawa’s younger son Leon closed out a 25 minute set to a standing ovation. Later that year two of the oldest members graduated from high school and went off to college thus ending that chapter of the band’s history.
In 2001 a Junior Banjo Band Reunion was held at the annual Banjo Jubilee. Former members from the entire thirteen year span attended. Due largely to Tagawa’s adaptation of the Suzuki method
Suzuki method
The Suzuki method is a method of teaching music that emerged in the mid-20th century.-Background:The Suzuki Method was conceived in the mid-20th century by Shin'ichi Suzuki, a Japanese violinist who desired to bring beauty to the lives of children in his country after the devastation of World War II...
for teaching violin in giving banjo lessons, in a practice session the day before their performance the group of twelve returning students synchronized their playing within the span of one song.
There is interest in starting another Junior Banjo Band with a new generation of students. A small assortment of student banjos have been collected and there is interest by many of the members to recruit from local schools and music programs.
The PBB Auxiliary
In 1996 the late Gene Sandberg invited Christina Gill, Jeannette Oatman, and the late Vera Adams, for a luncheon at Rickeys HyattHyatt
Hyatt Hotels Corporation , is an international operator of hotels.Hyatt Center is the headquarters for Hyatt corporation...
House in Palo Alto, CA. He asked if they would be willing to start an auxiliary for the band. The then president of the band, Floyd Oatman, encouraged them to start one since it would be a great help to the band.
The first Auxiliary contribution was to sell tickets at the 1996 Jubilee. The Auxiliary was then officially recognized in 1997 at the Jubilee they sold tickets, helped with distributing the programs and welcoming the guests into the ballroom. The following are the founding members: Vera Adams, Bob Beavers, Eileen Daniels, Christina Gill, Art Henderson, Audrey Henderson, Ed and Maxine Ingraham, Jeannette Oatman, Bette Seeband, Burven (Tom) and Betty Thomas, and Barbara Wilson. Under the direction of the Board of Directors, the Auxiliary assists with the annual volunteer appreciation picnic, Jubilee preparation and production, the annual Christmas and volunteer appreciation banquet, and other events and activities.
The Auxiliary has had three chairpersons: Ed Ingraham 1997-2004, Gen Trovillion 2005-2009, and Phyllis Heeter 2010–present.
Discography
- Just Because (PBB Recordings, 1976, first edition on LP & cassette)
- More! More! More! (PBB Recordings, 1981, first edition on LP & cassette)
- Just One More Time! (PBB Recordings, 1996, first edition on CD & cassette)
- Just Because, second edition (Discmakers, 2002, digitally remastered, reissued on CD)
- More! More! More!, second edition (Discmakers, 2002, digitally remastered, reissued on CD)
- That Charlie Sound (Suspect Studios/Discmakers, 2008, first edition on CD)
See also
- Four-string banjo
- List of banjo players
- List of banjo bands (worldwide)
- List of jazz festivals