Barefoot Manner has received some exciting news lately, as Deering Banjo Company has offered Hank Smith an artist endorsement. In the next few weeks, Deering will custom-build Hank a Maple Blossom with a radiused fingerboard. Hank joins such other diverse artists as the Kruger Brothers, Peter Rowan, the Indigo Girls, and the Smashing Pumpkins in receiving endorsement from Deering Banjo. I spoke with Hank about the impact of this endorsement, and he offered the following information:

“I approached Deering asking if I could purchase a radiused fingerboard from them…When Deering responded, they informed me that they don’t supply parts from the custom shop directly to the consumer, but they would be interested in providing me with an artist endorsement. Barefoot Manner will benefit from this in that the band name will be associated with the Deering Banjo Company. Acoustic Syndicate’s banjo player, Bryon McMurry also has an endorsement. He and I have spoken at length about his deal and can’t say enough good things about them. It’s also a nice thing to have a ‘sponsored artist’ in the band, as it gives the band a more professional edge.”

According to Hank, he will be promoting Deering at workshops and festivals and displaying photos of him with the instrument in future liner notes. Hank has indicated that the terms of the endorsement were agreeable as he “supports their craftsmanship anyway” and added that this would be “advantageous for all parties involved.”

Hank remarked that this development “has also inspired the other guys to seek endorsement. Everyone in the group should have a sponsorship of some type. They are not hard to pursue, I have found, and companies want and need to work with artists, especially those whose focus is on quality.”

In what could prove to be an exciting time for Barefoot Manner, an already bright future just got brighter…