Giddens’ replica banjo, with a backless body that gives it an extra hollow sound, was built by James Hartel, who specializes in 19th-century banjos. Lexey Swall In the early 20th century ...

Feisty played ‘Joy to the World.’ Even with that banjo being just a pan, a neck, five strings and some invisible ...

When Beyoncé teased her country-tinged album Cowboy Carter last February, the first sound anyone heard was Rhiannon Giddens ’ banjo. Giddens, who lent her distinctive instrument to the single “Texas ...