Carroll Best

Carroll Best, born Hugh Carroll Best, Jr., (February 6, 1931 – May 8, 1995) was an American bluegrass banjo player and music educator. He was briefly a member of The Morris Brothers in the mid 1950s. He was the winner of several regional banjo contests before being awarded the widely recognized Bascom Lamar Lunsford Award in 1990. He is credited for developing an influential melodic three-finger banjo style, which he taught as a member of the faculty at the Tennessee Banjo Institute.

Life and career Born in Crabtree, North Carolina on February 6, 1931, Hugh Carroll Best, Jr. was the son of Hugh Carroll Best, Sr. and Bertie Davis Best. His first public performance was in 1941 when he accompanied square dancing at Maggie Elementary School in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. He continued to accompany local public dances through his youth, developing his own unique picking style that enabled him to play melodic lines traditionally reserved for lead fiddle players.

From 1950 through 1954, Best served in the United States Navy.

Discography

Pure Mountain Melodys (Skyline Records SR-008, 1982) The Carroll Best Band With Tommy Hunter (Ivy Creek Recordings ICR-250, 1993) Say Old Man, Can You Play The Banjo? (Copper Creek Records CCCD-0175, 1999)