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'Dueling Banjos' Eric Weissberg Dies at 80 After Battle with Alzheimer's Disease

'Dueling Banjos' Eric Weissberg Dies at 80 After Battle with Alzheimer's Disease

Eric Weissberg has sadly passed away at the age of 80.

Variety reports that the family says he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for years.

Eric was one half of the duo who performed the famous “Dueling Banjos” for the film, Deliverance.

“I always hated ‘Dueling Banjos’ because I had the original version, ‘Feudin’ Banjos,’ with Arthur Smith and Don Reno,” Eric shared with Banjo Newsletter in 2006. “I hated it because it wasn’t bluegrass at all. It had a rhythm section, with drums. Who needs that?”

The song, which was re-recorded in a more traditional bluegrass style as a duet with guitarist Steve Mandell, became a worldwide hit and reached number two on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1973.

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Posted to: Eric Weissberg, RIP