LIVE MUSIC - Brad Bailey & his 8anjo! :-)

Brad Bailey

Singer, songwriter, & multi-talented musician.

Brad Bailey has developed a one-of-a-kind banjo – it has eight strings instead of the traditional four or five (and sometimes six) – so he can play and sing jazz standards he loves while incorporating the banjo sound.

Bailey created the eight-string banjo so that he could play bass lines himself. He added three strings to his standard five-string banjo to get the effect he wanted.

“Three of the bottom strings are tuned low, so I can play walking bass lines under my chords and solos,” said Bailey, a soft-spoken native of Simpsonville, S.C. He has been playing a variety of stringed and other instruments for more than 25 years.

Bailey spent the last 12 years as a church musician. He left that job last year to try his hand at being a full-time solo artist or accompanist.

As it is with learning a martial art, it took about two years of slow and painstaking practice to develop the technique well enough so that he could go public with it, Bailey said.

“I just followed my heart and love for three things that are fundamental to my approach as an artist: I love singing jazz standards, I love banjo, and I want to be able to provide a big, full, rhythmic sound in a solo or duo setting.

“I squeezed those ideas together, and the eight-string banjo popped out. It combines the best of all my favorite instruments in one. I call it the ‘8anjo’ “

As for mastering the “8anjo” and smoothly coordinating his hands while playing and singing, Bailey said it’s a work in progress. His listeners like what they’re hearing.

This year, Bailey released his CD “8ANJO,” which consists of original works and jazz standards such as “Candy” (Alex Kramer, Mack Davis and Joan Whitney), “Georgia on My Mind,”(Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell) and “What a Wonderful World.”

Besides his customized banjo, Bailey also plays guitar, mandolin, ukulele, drums and bass. Of all the instruments, the banjo, which originated in Africa, is important to him because of its rich history of crossing musical, political and cultural borders.

Come and hear Brad Bailey entertain you at 202 North Main, no cover.  Awesome musician, swell guy!!