<div>Billy Redden is the so-called "Banjo Boy" from the iconic "Dueling Banjos" scene in the movie "Deliverance".
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This scene enriched all who were involved - the movie was a hit and the song itself won a Golden Globe and a Grammy - but it did not enrich Redden.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Redden was not an actor at the time. He was a local 15-year-old in Clayton, Georgia where the film was made. The Director, John Boorman, chose Redden because he appeared to look like a backwoods boy. He filmed the scene and was largely forgotten.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Redden was not paid very much for his work in the iconic scene. Afterward, he sustained himself as a working man, working menial jobs in his local community to make ends meet. Nothing wrong with being a working man, mind you. Billy isn't complaining, but some believe there might have been some exploitation of this boy.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>To be fair to the movie-makers, however, how could they have supposed at the time that this scene would not only become iconic, but legendary?
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I and my Southern California-based bluegrass-ish band, The Storytellers, have drawn much inspiration and joy from watching the "Dueling Banjos" scene on YouTube, where the video has amassed over 16 million views.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My band's recent series of postings on Facebook about the "Dueling Banjos" scene and Redden has garnered much attention and interest, which inspired us to organize this campaign on behalf of Redden.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Redden is now 68-years-old. He had been working the last several years at the local Walmart. By all accounts, Billy is a kind man. Let's all help compensate him - fairly and finally - for his vital contribution to this iconic and inspirational scene that lifted the banjo, lifted bluegrass music, lifted the careers of actors Ned Beatty, John Voigt, and Ronny Cox, but somehow left Billy Redden behind.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>A local trust attorney will be hired to manage the funds that are donated on behalf of Redden. <strong>Please donate generously and share our campaign widely!</strong> If we can get 20k people to donate a single dollar, this young-old man can stop worrying about money and enjoy his life, knowing his work inspired us and continues to inspire us. THANK YOU.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Please leave a message of support for Billy Redden in the comments after your generous donation!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>===
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>UPDATE - April 4th</strong> - Thank you for your donations, your shares, and your interest in this campaign.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>A Trust Account is being set up by the Clayton GA-based Law Offices of Russell &amp; Russell, PC. Billy's longtime friend and business manager Kip Ramey will be named to manage the Trust Account on behalf of Billy. Attorney Bruce Russell Jr. and Clayton-based Money Manager Ara Joyce will supervise Mr. Ramey's management of the account. All funds raised through this GoFundMe campaign will be deposited into this Trust Account.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>===
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>UPDATE - March 29th</strong> - We anticipate reaching our fundraising goal in the next few days! Thank you!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>From the beginning of this project, we have been in communication with Kip Ramey, Billy's friend and business manager. We are working with Mr. Ramey and Enoch Autry, the Editor of The Clayton Tribune, to assemble a two-person team consisting of a local attorney and a local fund manager to act as managers of the funds raised on behalf of Billy.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>An account will be created to transfer the funds upon reaching our goal. These individuals will work together to assure that the funds so generously raised by YOU are safe and used wisely and judiciously to benefit Billy Redden.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>===
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>UPDATE - March 4th</strong> - We have met and talked with Mr. Redden who was just today released from the hospital. He stated that he has mounting medical bills. He has given this fundraiser his blessing and gratitude.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>===
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>READ <a href="https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/effort-to-support-deliverance-banjo-boy-billy-redden-underway/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Effort to Support “Deliverance” Banjo Boy Billy Re</a>dden Underway in Saving Country Music Dot Com
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>READ <a href="https://bluegrasstoday.com/fundraiser-for-billy-redden-duelin-banjos-banjo-boy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fundraiser 4 Billy Redden Duelin Banjos Banjo Boy</a> in Bluegrass Today
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><a href="https://youtu.be/myhnAZFR1po?si=5cPXPyRry9LESntx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Watch Billy Redden's Iconic Dueling Banjos Scene</a>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/11/17/the-return-of-banjo-boy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Billy Redden in The New Yorker</a>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>===
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The Saga of “Dueling Banjos - Part 1 of 4: Arthur Smith, left, was the actual composer of "Feudin' Banjos", recorded in 1955 with five-string banjo player Don Reno, right. When the composition was performed in the 1972 film Deliverance, retitled "Dueling Banjos" and played by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell, Smith was not credited. "Dueling Banjos" became a hit song. In what was considered a landmark copyright infringement suit, Smith sued Warner Brothers, winning a substantial settlement, included his being awarded songwriting credit and back royalties.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The Saga of “Dueling Banjos - Part 2 of 4: Speaking of "Feudin' Banjos", the first large-scale public airing of the song was on The Andy Griffith show in 1963. In the episode, the song is performed by a visiting music family, The Darlings, portrayed by The Dillards. Griffith also performed.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The Saga of “Dueling Banjos - Part 3 of 4: The song made famous in the infamous movie Deliverance - “Dueling Banjos” - was arranged and recorded by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell. They won a Grammy award for the song that is, at its heart, a duel - a competition - not unlike the clash of cultures portrayed in the classic movie scene. The underlying unity captured in the performance created the magic of that legendary track.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The Saga of “Dueling Banjos - Part 4 of 4: Billy Redden played “Lonny” the so-called “Banjo Boy” in Deliverance. He was a local teen chosen by director John Boorman to “play” the banjo in the film’s iconic “Dueling Banjos” scene. Redden didn’t play the banjo. A local musician, Mike Addis, hid behind Redden with his left arm in Redden’s shirt sleeve, to convincingly depict the movement of the boy’s left hand. Unfortunately Redden never earned much money from filming the movie and never capitalized on the scene that has become iconic and legendary.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>===
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>UPDATE – May 2025</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We are deeply grateful to every single one of you who helped us reach our original goal of $30,000 to support Billy Redden. Your generosity and kindness have been overwhelming. Because of you, Billy now has a trust account established in his name, and every dollar donated goes directly to him.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Even though we met our goal, we’ve decided to keep the campaign open indefinitely.</strong> Why? Because Billy’s needs don’t end at $30,000. He continues to face ongoing medical expenses and modest living costs, and this fund helps ensure he can live with comfort and dignity in the years ahead.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We invite anyone who continues to feel moved by Billy’s story—or inspired by that unforgettable "Dueling Banjos" moment—to contribute what they can. Every donation, no matter the size, sends a powerful message: Billy’s performance mattered. And he deserves to be honored for it.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for standing with Billy. Let’s keep the love flowing.
</div>

Anonymous

Stan Harrison

andrew reaves

Herschel Coutant

Philip Wright

Seth Bradley

John Oldroyd

Frank DuBois

Adam Hirshfield

John Smith-Langridge

Roger Bayliss

Adger McGovern

Chris Baker

Help Deliverance "Banjo Boy" Billy Redden!

Support urgent earthquake relief and past recovery in Venezuela.

Apoya la ayuda urgente tras el terremoto y los esfuerzos de recuperación en Venezuela.

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

Eligible for Profile Share Badge

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

Support Comments Allowlist

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

checkout headers audience

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

isEligibleForProfileBadge

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.3.0 and above

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Enter your donation forHelp Deliverance "Banjo Boy" Billy Redden!