Boy Named Banjo Details

Long before Boy Named Banjo, two of the founding members of the genre-bending band grew up a mile down the road from each other in Nashville. William Reames and Willard Logan both picked up the guitar at an early age, took lessons from the same teacher in town, and played in the same middle school band together.

A shared love for bluegrass, folk, and singer/songwriter music sparked a new musical friendship between Reames and banjo player, Barton Davies. The two young musicians enthusiastically bounced songs off each other, discovering some of their favorite artists together. Before long, they were writing and performing songs of their own, and at the age of 16, they decided to form their own band. Only, they needed a mandolin player. That’s when they called Logan – and the two longtime friends, and now Davies, were bandmates once again.

With a brand-new name and a handful of original songs, the trio recorded The Tanglewood Sessions, giving fans an inside look into the lives of the young outfit and receiving unexpected praise. In 2013, Boy Named Banjo invited drummer Sam McCullough to join the group, before recording their sophomore album, Long Story Short (2014). In 2015, the band earned a spot on the lineup of their first major music festival, performing at Bonnaroo for the first time in their career. Shortly after releasing their Lost on Main EP in 2016, Boy Named Banjo found its missing piece, bass guitarist Ford Garrard. The group hit the road and haven’t stopped touring since. In April 2020, Boy Named Banjo signed a record deal with Mercury Records Nashville. The band is currently in the studio writing their debut major label project.