NitchieBoys Banjo Newsletter is a monthly 48-page magazine covering all aspects of the 5-string banjo. Started by Hub Nitchie and his wife Nancy in 1973, BNL is now published by his two sons Donald and Spencer.

Over twenty accomplished and well-known columnists and contributors cover a wide range of banjo topics, including features on banjo players, banjo techniques (three-finger, clawhammer, and others), beginning banjo, music theory, banjo set-up and accessories, product and record reviews, and typically at least nine tunes in banjo tablature per month.

BNL has more than 6,500 subscribers in the US and internationally—and all of them are banjo players.


Hub Nitchie

HubNitchie Born in 1929, Hub Nitchie grew up in Roselle Park, New Jersey, and his first musical instrument was the trumpet. Hub didn't even know what a 5-string banjo was, until he heard Earl Scruggs on the radio in the late 1950's. Soon after that, he bought a banjo, and Pete Seeger's instructional book.

In 1971, while working as a high school librarian in Massachusetts, Hub began compiling information on the five-string. He called it the "Banjo Information Clearing House," and that, along with a tablature and tab service he also offered called "Tab of the Month," eventually became Banjo Newsletter. Although Hub played three-finger style (he was especially partial to melodic style), he made certain that Banjo Newsletter covered all the other banjo styles.

 HubNanNitchie In September, 1992, Hub received the Personality of the Year in Print Media Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association in acknowledgement of his lifelong contributions to the world of bluegrass. In October, 1992, Hub passed away in Greensboro, Maryland.

In 1988, Hub wrote in BNL: "Whatever objective you have with your interest in the banjo -- to play for yourself or for others, or whatever musical style you prefer -- our goal at Banjo Newsletter is to celebrate the banjo."

Pete Wernick wrote in January, 1993, "Over the last twenty years, Hub made one of the most important and enduring contributions that's ever been made to the banjo world. His warmth, knowledge, tirelessness, and good-hearted feistiness added something special to our lives. Banjo Newsletter will long serve as his memorial."