Eric Weissberg was an American singer, banjo player, and multi-instrumentalist, whose most commercially successful recording was his banjo solo in "Dueling Banjos", featured as the theme of the film Deliverance and released as a single that reached number 2 in the United States and Canada in 1973.
14 Facts About Eric Weissberg
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Eric Weissberg played and recorded with leading folk, bluegrass, rock, and popular musicians and groups from the middle of the 20th century to its end.
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Eric Weissberg was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Cecile, a liquor buyer, and Will Eric Weissberg, a publicity photographer.
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Eric Weissberg joined an early version of the Greenbriar Boys, but left before they made any recordings.
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Eric Weissberg was taken on as a string-bass player, but the group soon made use of his multi-instrumental talents as banjo player, fiddler, guitarist, mandolin player, and singer.
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Eric Weissberg started performing with the Tarriers while still a student at Juilliard.
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Eric Weissberg developed a career as a session musician, playing on albums by The Clancy Brothers, Doc Watson, Melanie, Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, Frankie Valli, Bob Dylan, Loudon Wainwright III, Talking Heads, Tom Paxton, Jim Croce, Art Garfunkel, John Denver, Ronnie Gilbert, and others.
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Eric Weissberg was well known for playing the banjo solo in "Dueling Banjos", used as the theme in the film Deliverance, produced by Joe Boyd and directed by John Boorman.
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Eric Weissberg released a related album, called Dueling Banjos: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Deliverance, which became a hit.
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The album was made up mostly of tracks which Eric Weissberg had recorded on New Dimensions in Banjo and Bluegrass, with Marshall Brickman and Clarence White.
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Eric Weissberg won a "substantial settlement," which included appended film credit for the song and a portion of royalties.
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Eric Weissberg recorded with jazz musicians Herbie Mann and Bob James.
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On February 12,2009, Eric Weissberg performed at the Riverside Church in New York City with the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College orchestra and chorus, along with the Riverside Inspirational Choir and NYC Labor Choir, to honor President Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday.
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On March 22,2020, Eric Weissberg died at the age of 80 from Alzheimer's disease at a nursing home in White Lake Township, Michigan, near Detroit.