"Banjo Fred" Starner was born George Frederick Starner to James and Charlotte Starner in Toledo, Ohio in 1937. He attended Oberlin College, where he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. While at Oberlin, he was first drawn to folk music after attending a Pete Seeger concert, an experience which inspired Starner to learn five-string banjo, and later twelve-string guitar. Later, he received a Master’s from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Economics from Ohio State University. He became a Professor of Economics at Drew University in New Jersey, but was dismissed due to his political activism. He was heavily involved in the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, a project conceived by Seeger in which a ship would be constructed through community funding and sponsor environmental and folk education programs. He helped with the initial fundraising by putting on a concert series. Starner was on the ship’s maiden voyage in 1969 from Maine to New York as a crew member with his wife Barbara, whom he married in 1962, serving as the cook. In all, he was involved with the organization from 1968-1974, even serving on the Board of Directors for three years in the 1970s.

Starner was involved in a number of other projects as well. He worked on a ten-part PBS documentary series entitled The Oleanna Trail in 1972 about folk music. In 1974, he began teaching Economics at Wisconsin-La Crosse. While at La Crosse, he helped found the Great River Traditional Music and Crafts Festival, which continued for almost ten years. He moved to California to teach economics at multiple community colleges while continuing to perform and write songs in 1987.

Starner was also fascinated by hobo culture, an interest that apparently began when he recalled his mother giving money and meals to the hobos that passed by their house. A significant amount of effort towards the end of his life was focused on producing the documentary film "That’s the Ticket Road Hog: The Hobo’s Song", released in 2009, with material drawn from his compilation of the songs, poetry, and personal stories that he collected from firsthand conversations.

He died of complications of pneumonia and chronic lung disease in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at age 72.