Search - Mary Z. Cox :: Walkin' That Banjo Home

Twain Berg from MelBay Banjo Sessions

Mary Z. Cox | Tallahassee, FL USA | 05/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""TB: I own or have listened to all of your CD's. My two favorites are Walkin' that Banjo Home and your most recent, Banjo Dreamin' Suwannee Nights. Can you tell us how friends and family are involved in the making of a new CD?



MZC: We began seven years ago with "Vintage Banjo." When my husband and I would play, folks would ask for a CD of our music We were determined to produce a CD that when folks bought it, they would want to hear it more than once. We have tried our best to do that with all our CDs since. We pick only tunes that we love to play and record them in the best possible recording studio we are able to afford at the time.



We spend one- two years on each CD and always have the listener in mind. We have been so pleased that about 90% of our sales are repeat sales. Most folks buy one CD, then they come back and buy the rest. We think that each of our CDs gets better, but every single one is still in print and sells regularly.



TB: Mary, the Seven Hills tune on Walkin' that Banjo Home is a favorite of mine. How do you go about creating your own tunes?



MZC: This particular tune came out of my living room. Kay and I planned to record "Last Chance" in the key of F. We thought it was a shame to only record one tune in that key, but we didn't know any others, so we agreed, "lets try one. " Kay began to play chords in the key of F on her guitar, then I began to play melody notes. We did this for awhile until we found chords and a melody that we liked and the tune began to take shape Afterwards. I named it "Seven Hills" because Tallahassee, like Rome, is built on seven hills. "

from April 2007 Mel Bay Banjo Sessions.

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