Jonny mizzone biography channel

Why you should listen

These days your kid can get famous on YouTube for having water sprayed at him, for being duped about his Halloween candy, and for being high off laughing gas. But what if your 8-year-old gets famous on the Internet for being an absolute genius on the banjo? So goes the story of Jonny Mizzone, who first became a YouTube sensation in early 2011 for videos of him and his brothers tearing it up playing Earl Scruggs's Flint Hill Special. It wasn't long before the press started calling.

Now Jonny, Robbie (fiddle) and Tommy (guitar), known as the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, are 11, 14 and 15 respectively. In 2011 alone they got calls from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and in the summer of 2011 they appeared as musical guests on The Late Show with David Letterman and NBC’s Today Show.

While the trio grew up in New Jersey -- which is known more for rock music than for bluegrass -- they fell in love with the unique sounds of J.D. Crowe, Ralph Stanley, Clarence White and Earl Scruggs after some creative YouTube searching. Now, having become sensations on the platform themselves, the trio has accumulated more than 17 million video views. Their first album, America’s Music, was released in September 2011 and charted top eight on the Billboard Bluegrass Album Chart. In October 2012 they released their second album, The Farthest Horizon, which cracked the top three. The group is already at work on their next album.

The banjo, with its unique, plucky sound, is capable of producing music that resonates with your emotions. It is a versatile instrument that can produce both energetic tunes to enliven your spirits and slower melodies to help you unwind after a stressful day.

Music holds an extraordinary power over our emotional state, influencing our moods with its varying tempos and melodies. Upbeat tunes permeate our spirits with a sense of positivity and optimism, revitalizing our energy after a long day. Conversely, rapid, high-tempo music can heighten focus and alertness, quickening mental processing and fostering a productive environment.

On the other hand, melodies with a slower tempo work like a balm for the stressed soul. These tunes relax your muscles, quiet your buzzing mind, and send you to a state of tranquility. Such music is an effective stress-buster, draining the day’s exhaustion and creating an aura of calmness. The ‘best banjo’ tunes, with their soothing strums, serve as a perfect companion for stress management, encouraging relaxation of both mind and body.

Numerous scientific researches substantiate music’s profound impact on our personal experiences and mental state. Studies reveal that music with around 60 beats per minute can cause your brain to synchronize with the rhythm, leading to a unique meditative state.

Alpha brainwave, oscillating between 8 – 14 cycles per second or hertz, plays a pivotal role in this process. When your brain synchronizes with the music, it activates the alpha brainwaves, triggering a state of conscious relaxation. This state is optimal for gaining the maximum benefits of calming music. For best results, it is advised to spend at least 45 minutes in a relaxed posture, absorbing yourself in the soothing tunes.

This practice of music meditation triggers the activation of delta brainwaves, oscillating at 5 hertz, which are essential for inducing sleep. Therefore, soothing music, especially from the best

Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, brothers Tommy, Robbie, and Jonny, have quickly made a name for themselves as one of the quickest rising acts in Roots music. That is no small accomplishment when you take into consideration the trio hails from Lebanon Township, New Jersey – not exactly a hotbed for instruments like banjos and fiddles. “New Jersey is not what you would call a Bluegrass state. That’s one of the interesting parts about our story,” said Tommy. “There are definitely Bluegrass fans here, but maybe we’re making a few new ones, which is kind of cool.”

When asked why the brothers became so enamored with the style of the music, Tommy says, “Probably because it’s so unique. There’s really not any other kind of music that is similar to it. We also like the pureness of the acoustic sound – there’s no way to hide behind effects or distortion pedals so you have to be proficient on your instrument to play this music well.”

The Mizzone brothers were influenced by the masters, such as J.D. Crowe, Ralph Stanley, and Tony Rice. They also – just like countless others before them – became influenced by the revolutionary five-string banjo playing of Earl Scruggs. However, they weren’t listening to Grandpa’s 78 RPM collection. They picked up the music of Scruggs the way that many others their age are discovering the classics. “We discovered Earl Scruggs through YouTube and fell in love with the music,” said Tommy.

YouTube has been instrumental in getting the name of the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys out to the public. Their videos have been viewed over 20 million times on their YouTube channel. “That’s one of the coolest parts about everything,” said Robbie. “We have had several of our bedroom practice jam videos go viral and that’s what really kind of took off and helped get us out there.”

Younger brother Jonny is rapidly making a name for himself as a proficient 5-string banjo player. When Jonny was just nin