The Ullrich - Deering
Texas Banjo
Hi, I'm Anton (Tony) Ullrich, and this is the story of the Ullrich-Deering Texas Sesquicentennial Banjo.
I had been a Deering dealer for about 1½ years when this adventure began to unfold, and I will be forever grateful for the creativity of Greg Deering, who, along with his wife Janet, and Chuck Nytsel, worked so hard at the Deering Banjo Company to complete this project.
The Texas Sesquicentennial
(1836-1986)
Most states here in America count and celebrate their Sesquicentennials (150 years of statehood) from the date they were admitted to the Union. Here in Texas, we did it a little differently. Texas celebrated its Sesquicentennial in 1986, marking 150 years of freedom from the tyranny of the Mexican Government led by Santa Anna, dictator and despot. Texas is the only state of the union that literally was a country (The Republic of Texas) before it became the 28th state of the Union in 1845.
On December 7, 1985 (Pearl Harbor Day) I was watching the old footage of the terrible carnage thrust upon America on that day, and the thought came to me, "Why not design a commemorative banjo in honor of the Texas Sesquicentennial?" After all, I had seen commemorative items advertised all year long, but I had not really seen anything in the way of a commemorative musical instrument. I began the design by just looking at my Deering Maple Blossom and visualizing what a Texas commemorative banjo would look like and what this banjo would have on it that would best express the love I have for my Lone Star State of Texas. (Greg Deering and I talked a lot during the following days as the design ideas began to take form, and Greg always said, "We can do that!")
The Resonator
The first things I pictured were the names of eight of the most famous men of the Texas Revolution, in raised relief around the side of the resonator. They are (in alphabetical order) Stephen F. Austin of Virginia, Jim Bowie of Tennessee, Davey Crockett of Tennessee, James Walker Fannin of South Carolina, Sam Houston of Virginia, Mirabeau B. Lamar of Georgia, Ben Milam of Kentucky, and William Barrett Travis of South Carolina. You'll notice that all of these men who came to Texas to fight for freedom from tyranny were from other States in the American Union.
Next, I considered the back of the resonator, and decided on an overlay of the outline of the State of Texas centered in the middle with the years of the Texas Sesquicentennial (1836-1986). This all came very quickly, within the first 2-3 hours of just sitting and looking at my banjo. See "Texas -1905" (dark walnut resonator with Texas overlay in blonde Fiddle-back maple), and "Texas -1836" (extremely fine grade blonde maple with dark walnut Texas overlay). The Lone Star State of Texas' name is branded (burned) into the state's overlay here.
I asked Greg to create a branded effect because of the thought of wanting the name "Texas" branded (as a cowboy would brand a cow) into the wood.
The Fretboard
Then came the fretboard. Well, my first dilemma! How do I get all the history of Texas on the banjo's fretboard? The short answer was, "I can't!" so I had to decide what to put on the fretboard in the form of inlays that represented the history of Texas.
I decided on my own personal favorite period of Texas history -- the era of the Texas cowboy and the cattle drives. Greg Deering has done a wonderful job of putting in incredibly beautiful inlays. They are the State of Texas ( 1st fret ); A Cowboy Boot ( 3rd ); A Colt 45 ( 5th ); A Cowboy Hat ( 7th ); A Texas Longhorn ( 10th ); The Alamo ( 12th ); A Spur ( 15th ); A Lone Star ( 17th ); TEXAS ( 19th ); and 1836-1986 ( 21st ).
Someone in a later generation will have to design a banjo that covers the "Oil Era" and the "Era of Space Travel."
The Peghead
The peghead of the Texas Banjo gave me a place for several wonderful features. The centerpiece of the peghead is the American and Texas flags with flagpoles crossed, and the flags are color correct. I had to research the Texas flag, and its colors are red 185 and reflex blue. There are 2 Colt 45's with barrels crossed. Between the flags and the guns, I placed our state's symbol, a Lone Star.
I wanted to have a cowboy lariat, and one day, Greg Deering called and asked me how I pictured the rope. I said that I had thought about that, and I asked Greg if there was a way we could put the rope in the peghead, and yet under the finish. Greg said that was the way he had pictured the rope. Greg and Janet Deering went to a macrame store and found a string that looked like a rope and we had our cowboy lariat. The miniature rope is routed in, along the edge, and then finished over to protect the rope.
The truss rod plate has both my last name (Ullrich) and Greg's (Deering).
Each Texas Banjo is a
One-of-a-kind
The Texas Banjo, in the beginning, was supposed to be a one-of-a-kind banjo, designed by / for me to honor the State of Texas and the Texas Sesquicentennial celebration of 1986. Several of my students who saw my designs said they might be interested in buying one for themselves. I resisted at the beginning, but I had one really persistent student who said she wanted one, and she would pay for hers "NOW." Well, I thought about this and consulted with Greg Deering, and he said that they would be willing to add them to their catalog of custom banjos. I still wanted my banjo to be a one-of-a-kind that couldn't be duplicated, so the idea came about to have a total of 151 Texas Banjos available, one for each year of The Texas Sesquicentennial. If you include the year 1836 at the beginning and the year 1986 at the end, there are 151 years in all.
Each Texas Banjo will be a one-of-a-kind by virtue of the year you choose. My birth year is 1941. On the back of my Texas banjo peghead are the four numerals that make up the year 1941. They are blonde maple, and are overlaid on top of the Walnut on the back of the peghead on my Texas Banjo. Now, ask yourself. What year between 1836-1986 is important to you? That might be the year you put on your Texas Banjo.
The Texas Banjo
"Carved Heel"
The carved heel is a Greg Deering creation. When Gary Henderson and his family offered to buy a Texas Banjo to be given to The Alamo as a gift, it became a necessity to have a carved heel on this wonderful Texas Banjo. I called Greg and simply said, "I'm all thought out, Greg. You use your creativity." And Greg did. Greg's creation is perfect. You get The Texas flag, on top of the heel and The American flag on the lower side. In the middle, you have your choice of a small representation of the bluebonnet, the state flower of Texas, or a "yellow rose," made so popular by the song of the same name.
Walnut or Maple ?
Your Choice !
As you go through this page, you'll notice pictures of several Texas Banjos already made. Just click on these small pictures, and you'll see both Walnut (dark) and Maple (blonde) banjos shown for you. As beautiful as the pictures are, they still don't show the beauty of Deering Banjos' meticulous choice of woods to go on these one-of-a-kind commemorative banjos.
Plating and Engraving
Gold or chrome plating and engraving are vital additions to any one-of-a-kind personal banjo that someday will surely be a collector's banjo. All of these options are available for your Texas banjo. Once again, click on the small pictures to see how beautiful these custom options are on your Ullrich-Deering Texas Banjo.
"The Alamo" - Texas Banjo (1905)
The story of the Ullrich-Deering Texas Banjo THE ALAMO (1905) is really the story of one man, Gary Henderson, and his family's love and generosity to the people of the State of Texas.
Gary Henderson had come to take lessons from me in mid-1985. Gary really loves bluegrass music, and he was an eager and talented student. Gary, along with my other students at that time, had seen my sketches of my Banjo celebrating the Texas Sesquicentennial of 1986. Once the bridge had been crossed that these beautiful, custom order banjos would be available to any one who wanted to buy one, I began to think of how to get these special banjos donated to several of the major historical shrines in the great Lone Star State of Texas. I made a short list of three entities that I felt would make wonderful permanent homes for these Sesquicentennial banjos that would insure that they would be preserved for all future generations of Texans to see and possibly even play on. These entities were (1.) The State of Texas archives, (2.) The Alamo, and (3.) The San Jacinto Monument.
The first two Texas banjos (1941 & 1836) were delivered to me here in Houston, just in time to make their public debut at a Bluegrass Music Festival in Nacogdoches, Texas on July 4, 1986. I had shared my desire to get these banjos donated to these Texas shrines to more than several people, not really having any confidence that anyone would spend the thousands of dollars it would cost to buy one and then just give it away.
One day, late in the summer of 1986, Gary Henderson came to his banjo lesson and just stated that he and his family had decided to offer to give a Texas Banjo to The Alamo Shrine, in San Antonio, Texas. After I got over the shock of this generous offer, Gary and I sat down to figure what the cost would be, what should go on this very special banjo that would forever be held in such a special place in the history of Texas.
"The Alamo - 1905" was to be the seventh Texas banjo to be made. None of the first six had a carved heel. I could just never come up with a vision of a carved heel, so this is when I called Greg Deering and told him that I was leaving the design of the carved heel for The Alamo in his hands. And, of course, Greg came up with the beautiful carved heel you see in the pictures on this page.
Next came the challenge of "How do I get the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, who were given the honor of overseeing the operation of The Alamo by the State legislature in 1905, to even consider accepting such a gift to the people of Texas?" Well, I made one phone call, introduced myself to Steve Beck, who at the time was curator, and explained the banjo, the concept, and the idea that someone wanted to give a one-of-a-kind banjo to the Alamo. I asked if I could come to The Alamo, show him my Banjo and the Deering's catalog, and begin the process of offering this banjo to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Steve Beck said "yes," and I got into my car and drove to The Alamo. I was warmly received by Steve Beck, his secretary Eve Belcher, and business manager Fern Dillard. I showed them 1941, and they marvelled at Greg Deering's banjo-making artistry. They were excited and more than willing to help in presenting this gift to The Daughters of The Republic of Texas.
I had to make a written proposal, and then Steve would present this proposal to the Daughters and they would make a decision. After that Steve would let me know. Well, time went by, and nothing happened, so I called Steve. He said, "We are working on it. Be patient." What I didn't know was that the Daughters do not generally accept a gift that isn't verified to be at least 100 years old. Well, this banjo was being made at the time, so "Houston, we have a problem!" After four months, I got a call from Steve saying the Daughters had decided to make an exception, and that they were happy to receive this one-of-a-kind Sesquicentennial banjo for the people of the State of Texas. I designed the banjo, Greg Deering made it, and Gary Henderson and his family gave all the people of the State of Texas an extraordinary gift that will be there for folks to see for many generations to come.
On September 17, 1987, Gary Henderson, Greg and Janet Deering, Steve Beck, Marjorie M. Hardy (Alamo Committee Chairman), and I stood at the front door of The Alamo, and in a warm and friendly ceremony, Texas Banjo -"The Alamo"-1905 was graciously given to and accepted by the Daughters of The Republic of Texas for the people of Texas. Also in attendance that day were Janet Davis, Rick and Mary Gardner, and many friends and family.
Rick Gardner
The story of the Ullrich-Deering Texas Banjo would not be complete without a very special thanks to Rick Gardner, friend, former student (1973-76), Bluegrass music supporter, former Bluegrass DJ, and architectural photographer.
Over the last 30 years, Rick, along his late wife Mary, has given so much to the collective history of Bluegrass Music in Texas. For years, Rick has taken his photography equipment along to many festivals and has captured wonderful, and many times very funny, shots of the visual history of Bluegrass music in Texas. There are two episodes that I will always remember. The first is a photo of a very surprised Eddie Adcock, continuing to sing and perform after a Texas grasshopper had landed and was camping on the microphone into which he was singing. The second is a series of photos of Little Roy Lewis invading a show that was being put on by The Osborne Brothers. Little Roy can be seen in Rick's photos, approaching the stage with his banjo hidden in a bag (Yeah! Right!). From that point Rick's pictures take you through Little Roy's total dismantling of any kind of sanity and the subsequent concert, which was one of the funniest in the history of Bluegrass music. Rick! When are you going to publish your book of all these photos for the world to appreciate?
During 1986 and 1987, Rick Gardner selflessly supported the Ullrich-Deering Texas Banjo project by taking many priceless, wonderful pictures in his studio here in Houston, Texas. Rick Gardner took all of the photos on this web page, and I will always be thankful for Rick's friendship and support.
How to order your
Texas Banjo
The Ullrich-Deering Texas "Sesquicentennial" Banjo is a custom order banjo. Since 1986, only eleven have been made. I will be happy to assist you in answering any questions you have in regards to ordering your own Texas Banjo. You need to choose a year number (between 1836 and 1986) which will make your Texas Banjo your own one-of-a-kind collector's banjo. For example, my Texas banjo, the prototype and first of the series, is numbered 1941. That is the year I was born. That was the year choice that made sense to me. My 1941 is the only Texas Banjo that will ever be made with that year on it. Need help choosing the year that is to be on your banjo? How about (1.) your birth year, (2.) a child's birth year, or (3.) any other significant year (marriage, etc.). This is your beginning place.
Please email your inquiries to me at .
Please come visit me here in Houston, Texas, or call: 281-807-6355
I will be happy to assist you in any way I can.
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