Lee Dunbar with Bobby Hicks at Galax
Southwest Virginia banjo player Lee Dunbar died on October 14. A champion picker and a friend to everyone he met, Lee was 63 years of age at his passing.
Dunbar had dedicated himself to the banjo since his youth, with a particular fascination for transcribing intricate fiddle tunes to the five string. His large hands and long fingers allowed him to accomplish things that caused other pickers to shake their heads in wonder. But he also had a mastery of the Earl Scruggs style, and his most recent win at Galax in 2018 saw him take the prize with a straightahead version of Fireball Mail.
Even in years when he didn’t win the banjo prize at Galax, Dunbar was always in the top ten.
Lee’s death was a shocker to family and friends, as it occurred during a cardiac ablation procedure at the hospital.
Completely devoted to his family, Lee was married to Leslie Crowe Dunbar, who was also a frequent Galax winner in the Folk Song category, and two beloved children, Brianna and Lydia. He worked to support them all throughout his life, starting out with UPS, then Westvaco, the paper mill in Covington, VA.
Friends love to tell the story of how Lee won a new pickup truck in a raffle, and then promptly got rid of it saying, “I don’t need a new truck – I need a banjo!” So he sold the truck and bought a Gibson Granada that he continued to play for many years.
Perhaps most notable was his welcoming attitude to anyone trying to learn to play the banjo. Whether novice pickers just starting a five string journey, or experienced musicians hoping to unlock some of his fiddle tune skills, Lee never turned anyone away, and was always open and friendly with those who approached him.
He leaves behind many friends in his part of the state, and adjoining regions as well, who he met at jam sessions and performing with a number of bands over the years. Lee was a regular at the Roanoke Fiddle & Banjo Club at the Roanoke Civic Center, and later at Harold Cook’s store in Eagle Rock. You’d also find him playing with Roanoke area pickers like Bill Jamison, Roy Hughes, Tommy Jordan, Doug Seal, George Honeycutt, and Kenny Lowery, and later with The Love Buzzards alongside good friends Greg Honeycutt, and Ted and Caleb McAllister.
You won’t find many grassers in southwest Virginia who didn’t play with Lee Dunbar, or who have a negative thing to say about him.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find examples of his fiddle tune playing online, but here is video of Fireball Mail at Galax in 2010 with his regular backup guitarist, Dewey Peters.
A funeral service was held on October 18, 2024 at Fincastle Baptist Church where Lee served as a deacon, with Kevin Cummings officiating. Interment followed at Forest Grove Baptist Church Cemetery near his home in Eagle Rock, VA.
R.I.P., Lee Dunbar.
UPDATE 10/22/24: Many thanks to Clay Shelor who captured this brief piece of video of Lee playing the James Clark Hornpipe with Caleb McAllister at the Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention this past August.
