International Jazz Banjo Newsletter

In the 1950’s my father played drums and a little banjo with a band called the Staccato’s. Gigs were mostly weddings and clubs, not paying much but supplementing his accountant’s income and helping to support my family. Dad played a Challenger King Banjo. I remember the banjo because I had held it many times and remember playing with the knob that opened and closed the unique port holes on it. I had not started my own banjo playing yet but this banjo was something to hold and mess around with. It was Dad’s and he let me hold it to tinkle the strings a little and admire it.
At the end of one of his gigs, probably in 1956 or 1957, dad was packing up his drums, walking back and forth to the car, when he discovered his Challenger King banjo was missing. Someone had stolen his banjo! I was only 6 or 7 years old at the time. Dad was so angry. This was the first time I can remember him being this angry. My twin brother and I were scared to see him that way, it left a deep memory of the incident with me.
Fast forward to Tuesday, May 16, 2006. I got an e-mail from my friend and well known banjo luthier, Vinnie Mondello, subject: "Ok................................take Nitro".
VinBro, as I call him, comes from Longview, Texas. He and I have had an online friendship for sometime now. We exchange jokes, banjo information, etc. by e-mail. In March of this year, I went to Rob Wright’s Arizona Banjo Blast. When the airline would not let me take my banjo on board as carry on, (there was no way it was going in baggage), I landed in Arizona with no banjo at all. VinBro came to my rescue, he handed me a vintage B&D #6 tenor banjo to use for the weekend. We had never actually met face to face prior to this when he just hands me a $13,500.00 banjo and says "Here this is yours for the weekend". I was flabbergasted by this guy, surprised at his generosity, and surprised at how he trusted me with this valuable banjo. That act of kindness let me know what a good friend he truly is.
So, when I got that e-mail from him titled: "Ok……………………..take Nitro", I thought it might just be another joke. But! This email was no joke. He asked a simple question, "So who is Bill Caddick, and the Banjoliers?" There was also a photo attached to that e-mail showing my dad’s name and the Banjoliers written in pencil inside a banjo resonator.
Memories started to come back through the years of time. Bill Caddick, (my father), and his best friend, Billy Jordan, had a group called the Banjoliers from about 1933 until the start of World War II. When the war started, dad went off to join and became a gunner on a B-25. After the war, he returned home to pursue his career as an accountant and to start a family. To supplement his income he joined the Staccato's playing drums and banjo.
I fired back an e-mail to Vinnie, telling him Bill Caddick was my dad and I asked what banjo this was. He answered that question with a few more photos of the banjo The emails continued, "VinBro, Holy S&*t!, This is my Dad's Challenger King Banjo! It was stolen back in the late 1950's in Providence, RI". The stolen banjo my dad was so angry about, 50 years ago!
The banjo had made a long journey from Providence, RI to Longview, TX. When a plumber friend of Vinnie’s moved to Texas from New York City, he brought the banjo to Vinnie for repairs. VinBro and I had a few e-mails about the condition of the banjo. It had been abused and was in a bit of tuff shape. Vinnie described the condition of the banjo as, "The Case is hammered, wood is perfect patina, no refinish. Neck is straight and playable, but hacked on at the dowel." When I saw the photos of the banjo I asked, "I don't expect I could get this back?" The response was: "Steve, I am going to work on getting it for you, but we have to come up with a decent banjo for him. Vin said to dwell on it, "we got nothing but time. I have it, he can’t get to it!"
John Sarasino, who had the banjo, is a plumber friend of Vinnie’s, from NewYork City. He first saw the banjo in some old mans cellar, sitting by a pipe he was fixing. In return for the plumbing debt, he traded the guy for the banjo. John lost his Dad recently, and when the banjo’s history was told to him, John said it is RIGHTFULLY Steve’s, and he wanted me to have it. Vinnie told him he was really really cool. I offered to trade a Paramount Leader that I don't use in return for dad’s Challenger, it was in Good shape, but not perfect.... ….The response came quickly, " I have the banjo secured for you, the trade is on pal".
John got a great deal but I am just so grateful that the Challenger banjo is coming home! Many thanks to John for sending this piece of my family history back home. For me it was a good trade. Vinnie agreed and commented; "I said the same thing to myself, exactly, I would give any of my Stromberg Deluxe's gladly, for my Granpa’s Stromberg, no matter the condition". I am just so grateful the Challenger is coming home!
The banjo arrived in Seekonk, Mass on Friday, May 26, 2006, my skin is just crawlin' with good vibes on this! I don't care that it will take months of work to put it back together, as long as I can get it playable and keep it pretty much in original condition.
I can't figure out why the thief would leave Dad's name on it. Common sense would tell me that the thief would have wanted to remove any identifying marks. Maybe he just took it and put it in that basement and rarely played it and never took it out of the house. Who knows!? From the day someone walked off with the banjo we thought it would never be seen again, until the banjo gods brought it to Vinnie. He told me "I say you scored, and all out Karma has worked well. Your poppa steered Don right to it, and got it a ride to the only guy that might snap on to what was "Caddick'in", 50 years later!"
So VinBro says don’t flower him up too much! I don’t have to, the story flowers him up to the point he should be at, "Top of the heap", "King of the Hill", "First on the list". Here is a guy that has a heart as big as the state he lives in: Texas! He lives by that old fashioned code of honor and what is right is right. Da Vinnie Code!
The biggest Thankyou from me seems a little small right now. "Love Ya VinBro!"

Written by Steve Caddick
Edited by Paul Poirier