This, as it turns out, has been the story of my life as a banjo player.

Having been a virtuosic banjo player, he played the guitar like a fiddle and had the depth of a jazz musician.

I don't want people to lose interest in me and look for a more exciting conversationalist in the same way they have gone looking for a better banjo player.

And, with ten members in the band, including at one point three electric guitarists and a banjo player all thrashing away in noisy unison, he needs it.

He was described as a melodic banjo player, experimenting with merging styles like blues, rock and bluegrass.