Bio for Mary Z. Cox/2011
Banjoholic, Mary Z. Cox, a third generation Floridian, has played banjo since she was 12, and is a two time Florida champion. She has won old time music competitions on banjo, dulcimer, singing, and string band in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee and was chosen by Banjo Newsletter readers in 2006 as the fourth favorite claw hammer banjo player in the world.
She has recorded seven CDs, has written six banjo tab books, and has been published in Banjo Newsletter, Studio Magazine, Dulcimer Player News and Old Time Herald.
She has taught banjo workshops at the Florida Folk Festival, Sunshine State Music Camp, Will McLean Festival, Florida Old Time Music Camp, Suwannee Banjo Camp and the John C. Campbell Folk School where she has taught for seven years. Her music has been played on BBC and National Public radio, Thistle and Shamrock, and is available on iTunes worldwide.
Drumming on the Edge of Banjo & Girl With the Banjo Tattoo were both accepted into the Pandora World Music Genome and are now available on Pandora applications on your phone, ipad or computer.
New for 2011 is the Girl With the Banjo Tattoo Tab book with banjo tabs to all of the tunes on the Girl With the Banjo Tattoo CD & all the tunes on the Drumming On the Edge Of Banjo CD.
Mary Z. is also a Florida mountain dulcimer champion, as well as the first place winner in the 2006 Uncle Dave Macon Days in Tennessee and four time dulcimer champion at the 2006, 2007, 2009, & 2011 Transylvania County (North Carolina) Old Time Music Competition
Mary has taught mountain dulcimer workshops at the Suwannee Dulcimer Retreat, fall NGFDA festival at Unicoi, Florida Folk Festival, and the Will McLean Festival. Her new "Easy String Band Method for the Mountain Dulcimer" book/cd is a new approach for beginners to learn quickly and easily without being overwhelmed.
Mary Z. and husband, Bob Cox, (a mighty fine guitarist) have entertained audiences coast to coast in concerts, festivals, and camps, and are available for house and intimate concerts, festivals, clawhammer banjo, and mountain dulcimer workshops
Mary Z’s 2010 CD, Drumming On the Edge of Banjo, combines the Afro/Caribbean drumming of master drummer, Yazid, with Celtic clawhammer frailing fusion banjo with 5-string cello banjo, mountain dulcimer, dulcimette, guitar (Bob Cox), bowed bass (Jim Crozier) and George Clinton on vocals. Tunes from this cd have been played on NPR’s Thistle and Shamrock this year and it has just been accepted into Pandora’s Music Genome Project.
Mary Z. shares her home with 17 banjos and 12 mountain dulcimers and loves playing them. Her motto is: “If you suspect you need a new banjo or dulcimer--you do. Trust your musical instincts. If an instrument calls to you to buy it, don't fight destiny. It was meant to be. :)”