Between founding the string and jug band Carolina Chocolate Drops and winning a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur grant, Rhiannon Giddens has become one of folk music's foremost advocates for understanding the crucial role of Black musicians in the history of American roots music. This weekend, a North Carolina-based festival that she curated, Biscuits & Banjos, will feature dozens of Black artists performing and speaking on panels about their experiences in the genre. Karen Cox hide caption
Miko Marks and Rissi Palmer. Cedrick Jones/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Mickey Guyton, Adia Victoria and Chapel Hart's Devynn Hart have made the industry a more welcoming place for others who look like them. Photo Illustration by Renee Klahr/NPR; Getty Images hide caption
Mickey Guyton's roséwave playlist features Destiny's Child, Maren Morris, India.Arie and Tenille Townes. Bonnie Nichoalds/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Country artists like Miko Marks, Rissi Palmer, Mickey Guyton and Willie Jones are making standout music despite the confines of an industry that privileges whiteness. Beto Lopez, Samantha Everette, Rick Diamond/Getty Images, Duane Prokop/Getty Images hide caption
Rissi Palmer's latest album, Seeds, is featured in this roundup of music out of Nashville, Tenn. Jimmy Bruch/Courtesy of the artist hide caption