# Why is it called "Dueling Banjos".... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2003, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276 "2003-01-08T11:01:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Murasaki312a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Murasaki312a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murasaki312a)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/1 "2003-01-08T11:01:29Z")
…if it’s only ever played with a banjo and a guitar (as far as I’ve heard it)? I’m guessing that either a)it used to be played with two banjos b)what I’m really hearing is a guitar and two banjos or c)its title is really all about two banjo players who clobbered each other with their banjos. Anyone know the background of this piece? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/2 "2003-01-08T11:41:09Z")
No cite but I am quite certain it was written for two banjos. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/3 "2003-01-08T13:29:01Z")
Why exactly does it need to be two banjos? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/4 "2003-01-08T13:34:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > \*\*Why exactly does it need to be two banjos? \*\* Because it’s called “dueling banjos” and not “dueling turnips”. ---
**Author:** ![SC\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@SC\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SC_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/5 "2003-01-08T13:36:57Z")
For the same reason the lyrics to “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better” fall flat when sung as a solo part. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/6 "2003-01-08T14:13:39Z")
It was first written for two fiddles, and was called Feudin’ Fiddles. It was transposed for two banjo’s and recorded for the soundtrack to the movie Deliverance on guitar and banjo. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/7 "2003-01-08T14:20:01Z")
Next on Fox: When pop culture marginalizes already marginal pop culture. The HeeHaw version you are thinking of was not the original two banjo version. God help me, but I can picture them playing it in my mind’s eye. I must go now… ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/8 "2003-01-08T14:55:38Z")
Feudin’ Fiddles? The song was written by Don Reno, a banjo legend, and called Feudin’ Banjos. Someone (I think it was Eric Weissberg?) took the tune, which he thought was a public domain folk melody, and put it in the movie Deliverance. After the movie, Don Reno got a sum of money awarded for royalties. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/9 "2003-01-08T15:02:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Murasaki312a \* > \*\*…if it’s only ever played with a banjo and a guitar (as far as I’ve heard it)? \*\* I would refer you to Martin Mull’s legendary \* Dueling Tubas \* ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/10 "2003-01-08T15:52:41Z")
There was a [previous discussion](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=128261) of this a few months ago. After some back-and-forth (duelin’ cites?) it looks like the sole author of the song was Arthur Smith, and it was first performed in 1955 as a duet with the aforementioned Don Reno. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/11 "2003-01-08T16:00:11Z")
They were scared in Deliverance that if both musicians were playing banjos that it would look kinda, you know, incestuous. ---
**Author:** ![Murasaki312a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Murasaki312a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murasaki312a)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/12 "2003-01-09T00:23:37Z")
Thanks for the previous thread link, it was helpful. I do think the piece sounds great with a guitar and I can’t really imagine it any other way…Also, the “dueling tuba” thing sounds hilarious… ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/13 "2003-01-09T08:56:22Z")
_Dueling Tubas_ IS hilarious…but it’s really a tuba and a trombone… So why do they call it _Dueling Tubas_??? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/14 "2003-01-09T09:00:25Z")
Since this is about a song, I’ll move this thread to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/15 "2003-01-09T11:09:26Z")
_Dueling Moderators!_ ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/16 "2003-01-09T18:36:56Z")
Besides, _Dueling Banjo and Guitar_ (or tuba and trombone) doesn’t roll off the tongue the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/17 "2003-01-09T19:19:21Z")
When I get my other PC working again I’ll have to see how my Duelling Banjos sounds with brass instruments. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-dueling-banjos/147276/18 "2003-01-09T19:20:45Z")
Nuts, didn’t catch that until it was too late. I was referring to a Duelling Banjos MIDI.