John H. Lee (1847 â September 7, 1890) was the stage name for John D. Haley, an American banjoist, composer and author of the late 19th century. He was known as a harmonist, writing lessons for playing harmony on the five-string banjo and employing "remarkeable fingering" to construct chords. He promoted three new types of banjo for S. S. Stewart, the banjeaurine, Little Wonder picolo banjo, and six-string banjo, performing on the instruments alongside William A. Huntley.
Prior to working in the music business, John Haley lived in San Francisco, California, where he made shoes, "but having musical talent of the highest order, he decided to make it his business." In 1873 he won a small "silver banjo" for his playing in a local community social event. He left San Francisco after 1873, not appearing in the San Francisco city directory after then. Lee's next steps haven't been documented, but he is known to have worked as a treasurer at Madison Square Theatre in New York City.
As early as 1875, he performed with James E. Adams in a minstrel show known as "Adams and Lee." The two became headliners in other acts, including Bryant's Minstrels by 1875 and Haverly's minstrels by 1878. While performing with Haverly's in the United States, he "directed a team of 14 banjoists." In 1879, he joined the J. H. Haverly's Minstrels group that performed in England in 1880. He and Adams stayed with Haverly's into 1883 after returning to the United States.
He met banjoist William A. Huntley while with Haverly's. The two performed together later as a duo from 1885 to 1887, and he taught with Huntley in Providence, Rhode Island. He edited a method book for Huntley, titled Wm. A. HuntleyâÂÂs Complete School of Harmony, Embracing Chord Construction and Modulation for the Banjo, published in 1887. About the same time he had his own banjo methods published by S. S. Stewart: Chord Construction for the Banjo was published as a serial in Stewart's Banjo and Guitar Journal, and The Eclectic School for the Banjo was published as sheet music.
His partnership with Huntley lasted until June 24, 1887, when Lee formed a banjo trio with Dan Emerson and L. A. Burrit in New York. Less than a year later, his health began to deteriorate and he became a patient at St. Vincent's Asylum in New York in September 1888. However he was transferred to National City, California, in hope that the more congenial climate would help him to recover. He moved to San Diego, California where he started the "San Diego Banjo and Guitar Club." He died from tuberculosis September 7, 1890 in San Diego.
Lee was characterized by banjo educator Thomas A. Armstrong as a "harmonist devoted to the interest of the banjo" whose "playing consists almost entirely of difficult compositions of his own, abounding in chords and remarkable fingering for the left hand".
He played his banjo with what was then "the usual way", a bare-fingered technique of playing known today as classic banjo. The technique used the right-hand fingertips or pads of the first two fingers and thumb to fingerpick the strings. Lee also used his thumbnail for the deep bass notes "that are required to be played with force," to sound the string "clearer and louder."