Marvin Gaster

Art Form: Folk/Traditional Music

711 Cedar Lane Road
Sanford, NC 27332-0876

Phone: 919/775-2480

 

About Marvin Gaster

When Marvin Gaster was twelve years old, he saw a banjo for sale in W. F. Cheater's Music Store in Sanford, North Carolina. It took all the money he had saved plus some from his mother to cover the thirty-six-dollar cost. Now that banjo playing has become second nature, he reflects on his early impulse to make music. "It's just a God-given talent that I was born with," he says. "There's some people that struggle with something they can't do. And I'm not much for that. But the music I can do, and I enjoy doing."

During his boyhood, Saturday nights were "Grand Old Opry" times at his grandmother's house near Sanford. He describes the family listening to the radio and hearing "a good band tune by someone like the Possum Brothers, the Skillet Lickers, or the Fruit Jar Drinkers--they always had those funny names--and sometimes grandpa would dance." When his parents moved to Georgia to find work, they left Marvin in the care of his Aunt Alice Perry, "a whistling woman" who sang ballads and other traditional songs, and her husband, Henry, who played the banjo in a finger-and-thumb style that was prevalent in Lee County.

Uncle Henry encouraged Marvin to play the banjo but did not try to teach him. "If the music is in you, it'll come out," he said. Marvin learned to play by watching his uncle and other banjo players in the community. He backed up local fiddlers and became a sensitive accompanist known for his excellent timing and ability to support the lead instrument. "Uncle Henry said one time, 'Every instrument has to honor the fiddle,'" recalls Marvin. "'You must back up the fiddle because the fiddle has no beat, it has no time, and you've got to make that for it.'"

In recent years, Marvin Gaster's artistry has brought attention to stringband music from eastern North Carolina. He has performed at a number of prestigious music festivals and workshops and released a compact disc recording of Uncle Henry's Favorites on Rounder, a national independent label. He regularly attends fiddlers conventions where he teaches tunes to younger musicians and encourages them to learn traditional banjo and fiddle styles.

By immersing himself in this larger community of old-time musicians, Marvin Gaster has seen his own skills and repertory continue to grow. "It's kind of like a good stew," he says. "There's a little bit of everybody in me. 'Cause I learned things from everybody. I still do. And I give things back, all I can."

Touring Artists Directory Profile

Stringband Musician

Marvin Gaster learned an old two-finger style of picking banjo that was still played in Lee County when he was growing up. The banjo was part of a string band tradition in the community, and Mr. Gaster began accompanying fiddle players as soon as he could. He counts about 1,700 tunes in his current repertoire. He received a North Carolina Heritage Award in 2000. Mr. Gaster performs by himself or in a group and particularly enjoys working in schools. He is available year-round and is willing to travel throughout the state. His fees are about $300 for a solo performance and about $200 per musician for a group performance, plus travel expenses. Distance is a factor in determining cost. Mr. Gaster also gives workshops. Fees for his school programs are negotiable.