Where did the banjo originate? When did the first reference to it appear in print? With whom was it most associated in in the US at first?

Well, to the best of my knowledge, the banjo dates back to the 1600s. It originated in Africa. I do not know where it was first documented in writing, but I do know that Thomas Jefferson wrote somewhere that slaves should be allowed to play banjo music as part of their cultural heritage. I would imagine that its US affiliation is most associated with the slavery era of the deep South.

Way to go, Oceangurl ! Indeed, the banjo, as we can begin to recognize it, was made by African slaves, based on instruments that were indigenous to their parts of Africa. These early "banjos" were spread to the colonies of those countries engaged in the slave trade. Scholars have found that many of these instruments have names that are related to the modern word "banjo", such as "banjar", "banjil", "banza", "bangoe", "bangie", "banshaw".

The first mention of these instruments in the Western Hemisphere is from Martinique, in a document dated 1678. It mentions slave gatherings where an instrument called the "banza" is used. Further mentions are fairly frequent and documented. The best known is probably that of Thomas Jefferson in 1781: "The instrument proper to the [slaves] is the Banjar, which they brought hither from Africa."

Good Job !