Mary Jane Schoenbaum, lovingly known as Janie, was raised in Rochester, New York, by artistic parents who inspired her lifelong love of music, creativity, and the arts. She studied piano at the Eastman School of Music and spent 16 years dancing with the Mercury Ballet Company.

After college and graduate school, Janie married her husband George, and together they built a deep love for traditional American music. While living in California, they joined a banjo band, where Janie learned to play the washtub bass, and George played banjo. After returning to New York, they founded the Riverbank Banjo Band, which grew into a not-for-profit group with 34 members and, over 28 years in Poughkeepsie, donated more than $500,000 to schools for children with disabilities.