Barrow Wheary

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About Me

Like any good Virginia boy, I have loved the banjo and fiddle for as long as I can remember. As a child going to Civil War reenactments with my dad, I was hooked by the music of Joe Ayers, one of the foremost historians and interpreters of 19th century banjo. At home and on road trips, we played Joe’s tapes till they wore clean out! As a teenager, I acquired my late uncle's fiddle and my great uncle's banjo from the 1910s as well as my first reproduction 1850s style "minstrel" banjo and began going out to Joe’s farm for lessons and playing at old time jams in the Richmond area. I soon began taking fiddle lessons from John Turner, an internationally acclaimed Scottish fiddling champion, as well. In college, I performed with the William and Mary Appalachian Music Ensemble as well as other smaller groups for local gigs. From 2007-2009, I apprenticed under master old time fiddler, Mark Campbell, as part of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities' Folklife Program and performed with the Campbell Family Band. While living in the mountains of Southwestern Virginia, I collaborated with traditional ballad singer Elizabeth LaPrelle and participated in the local old time music scene. Following my return to Richmond in the 2010s, I turned my attention more exclusively to antebellum banjo and fiddle music, devoting special study to George P. Knauff's "Virginia Reels" and the music of Joel Walker Sweeney. In 2019, I began performing this early Southern banjo and fiddle music with two of North Carolina's finest interpreters of historical music, Mark Weems (banjo) and James Pentecost (bones), primarily in an educational context at living history programs. In 2020, I moved to South Carolina where I now live with my wife on her family’s farm just south of Greenville and continue to play and teach both historical and old time banjo and fiddle. As a member and officer of SCAR (Southeast Coalition of Authentic Reenactors), a living history non-profit, I can most often be heard presenting period music to the public at historical sites from Virginia to Georgia. My big project at the moment is Batteaux and Banjos. Part 1840s music festival, part barbecue, and part camp meeting, Batteaux and Banjos is a living history program held each June on the banks of Virginia’s historic James River near Lynchburg in coordination with the James River Batteaux Festival. For me, playing banjo and fiddle is about more than just creating wonderful music, it is about participating in a tradition which connects us to generations past and future and preserving the rich heritage and unique identity of a particular people and place — the soil in which that music is rooted. It is about being a faithful steward of the gifts handed down to us from our parents and grandparents. Traditional music contains stories and experiences from the past which are worth remembering. Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the old song ends with us if we don’t learn it and pass it on. For that reason, I am humbled and grateful for the honor and privilege of sharing this music with any and all who love it as I do. I look forward to meeting new students and helping them discover the important role they have to play in the life of this deep, rich tradition!

My Musical Education Background

Studied under Joseph W. Ayers, preeminent historian of the early banjo; John Turner, internationally recognized Scottish fiddling champion; and Mark Campbell, award winning old time fiddler.

Genres and Subjects Taught

Banjo: Old time "clawhammer" and 19th century "minstrel" banjo styles
Fiddle: Old time and 19th century fiddle styles

Lesson Rates

$30 per half hour session.

Ages / Skill Levels Taught

All ages, beginner to advanced banjo, beginner to intermediate fiddle.

My Certifications and Awards

Selected for participation in the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities' Folklife Program as an apprentice under master old time fiddler, Mark Campbell
2nd place banjo, Adwolf Fiddler's Convention
2nd place banjo, South Carolina State Fiddling Championship
Fiddle finalist, South Carolina State Fiddling Championship

My Musical Influences

Joe Ayers, Mark Campbell, John Turner, Harold Hausenfluck, Joel Walker Sweeney, Nathaniel Gow, Emmett Lundy, Wade Ward, Tommy Jarrell, Marcus Martin, Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, Nathan Frazer and Frank Patterson, Joe and Odell Thompson, Hobart Smith, Roscoe Holcomb, Edden Hammons

Service Area

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