On This Day in 2023, Country Music Said Goodbye to the Innovative Banjo Player Who Performed With Dolly Parton, Bill Monroe, and Porter Wagoner

On this day (October 9) in 2023, legendary banjo player Buck Trent died at the age of 85. Before he passed away, Trent built a lasting legacy with his versatile musical talent and innovative thinking. Notably, he invented the electric banjo and played multiple instruments. During his career, he was a member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys and Porter Wagoner’s Wagon Masters. He also played on two of Dolly Parton’s biggest hits.

Videos by American Songwriter

Trent showed early promise as a performer. By the time he was 11, he was making regular appearances on radio stations in his hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Nine years later, in 1959, he moved to Nashville and stepped into the booming world of country music. He joined The Bill Carlisle Show and played on the Grand Ole Opry. A year after moving to Nashville, he joined the Blue Grass Boys, Bill Monroe’s iconic backing band. After spending a year with Monroe, he signed on with Porter Wagoner’s backing band, the Wagon Masters. He spent nine years in the band, leaving in 1973.

[RELATED: 6 Bluegrass Songs Featuring Mesmerizing Banjo Solos]

Buck Trent Invented the Electric Banjo

Buck Trent invented the electric banjo shortly after he moved to Nashville. In an interview, he recalled living in a boarding house with multiple musicians. One evening, he noticed that Howard White, who played steel guitar in Hank Snow’s band, had fashioned a capo out of a filed-down sound bar. Trent thought it was an interesting idea. Then, he realized that the filed-down bar was the same size as his banjo’s bridge. So, modified it further, filing grooves for the strings, and replaced his wooden bridge with it.

He liked the way it sounded. However, he didn’t believe it was loud enough. So, he took it to Sho-Bud, a Nashville-based company known for its quality steel guitars and string benders. There, Shot Jackson affixed a pickup to Trent’s banjo, giving him his signature sound and changing the history of the banjo forever.

“Porter Wagoner liked that sound, and he hired me in 1962. And I played all of Porter Wagoner’s hits on this,” he said of his highly-modified banjo.

Trent Played on Dolly Parton’s Biggest Hits

Buck Trent didn’t limit himself to his own recording career and backing some of the biggest names in the business. He was also present on two of Dolly Parton’s biggest hits. He played banjo on both “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You.”

Both songs were massive hits for Parton. As a result, millions of people have heard Trent’s five-string banjo playing but likely never knew it.

Featured Image by  Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum