Wade Mainer dies at 104

Banjoist Wade Mainer, a country music pioneer who got his start in North Carolina's mountains and rediscovered music amid Michigan's industry died Monday at his home in Genesee County's Flint Township, about 60 miles northwest of Detroit. He was 104. Mainer is credited with inventing the two-finger banjo picking style that paved the way for the bluegrass era. Mainer recorded for several labels and toured throughout the South in the 1930s. In the 1950s he moved to the Flint area, where he put the banjo under his bed. He worked for General Motors in the area for 18 years. Mainer returned to music after another musician convinced the born-again Christian that he could use his talents to honor God. A funeral service is set for Friday in Michigan. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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