American old time banjo player and an early proponent of the three-finger banjo style. Born October 27, 1908 in Harris, North Carolina, USA. Died April 29, 1990.
In the 1930s, Jenkins could be heard on WIS in Columbia, South Carolina, playing banjo and performing comedy with Byron Parker's Mountaineers. After Parker's death in 1949, Jenkins continued playing with long-time bandmate Homer Pappy Shell as the Hired Hands.
Jenkins learned his style of playing from neighbors Smith Hammett and Rex Brooks. Both Ralph Stanley and Don Reno credit Jenkins as the source of their three-finger playing.