By Mike Snedden

While most people associate this tune with a tense scene in the 1972 film Deliverance, its true history began nearly 20 years earlier in a very different setting.

The song was originally called Feudin’ Banjos, composed and recorded in 1955 by Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith. In the original version, Smith played a four-string tenor banjo and battled against Don Reno on a five-string bluegrass banjo. It was a clever, call-and-response piece that became a minor hit on the country charts, showcasing the interplay between two different styles of the instrument.

Fast-forward to 1972.  The producers of the film Deliverance needed a musical centerpiece. They hired musicians Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandel to record a version of Smith’s Feudin’ Banjos. However, they renamed it Dueling Banjos and swapped the tenor banjo for a flatpicked acoustic guitar.The film became a massive success, and Dueling Banjos turned into a global phenomenon, even reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. There was a major problem, however.  The filmmakers never asked Arthur Smith for permission and they didn’t give him any credit or royalties.

Arthur Smith, a savvy veteran of the music business, sued Warner Bros. for copyright infringement. It was a high-stakes move at the time, but Smith eventually won a landmark settlement. He was awarded full songwriting credit and a significant share of the royalties. The case became a textbook example for musicians on the importance of protecting their intellectual property.

Despite its controversial Hollywood history, the song remains a staple of the bluegrass genre. For guitarists and banjo players, it is the ultimate exercise in timing and dynamics. If you’re lucky, there will be a couple musicians in a future bluegrass jam who know the tune well enough to fued/duel with each other.