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Carolina Chocolate Drops

Rhiannon Giddens Is The 21st Century's Revelator

In her solo work and with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Giddens has helped shepherd the revival of the black string band tradition in American consciousness. Claire Harbage and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage and Angela Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Rhiannon Giddens Is The 21st Century's Revelator

Giddens' influence is not contained by her many accolades but by her drive to unearth forgotten stories, developing the ethos of a new reconstruction based in truth-telling.

Catching Up With Dylan

To create Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, T Bone Burnett (third from left) assembled the talents of Elvis Costello, Jim James, Jay Bellerose, Rhiannon Giddens, Marcus Mumford and Taylor Goldsmith. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Music Interviews

Catching Up With Dylan

Given the daunting task of finishing songs Bob Dylan had started (and abandoned) decades ago, super-producer T Bone Burnett decided to call a few friends.

Catching Up With Dylan

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Carolina Chocolate Drops: Hooked On Old-Time Sounds

Carolina Chocolate Drops' new album is Leaving Eden. Crackerfarm hide caption

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Music Interviews

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Hooked On Old-Time Sounds

Singer Rhiannon Giddens was classically trained, but says she's been in love with string- and jug-band music since she first started going to contra dances.

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Hooked On Old-Time Sounds

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Carolina Chocolate Drops: Sweet Defiance

Carolina Chocolate Drops' "Country Girl" is a 21st-century musical portrait of black America's Southern comfort. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review

Song Of The Day

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Sweet Defiance

"Country Girl" is a 21st-century musical portrait of black America's Southern comfort.

'Country Girl' by Carolina Chocolate Drops

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The Carolina Chocolate Drops On Mountain Stage

The Carolina Chocolate Drops perform on Mountain Stage. Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage hide caption

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Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage

Mountain Stage

The Carolina Chocolate Drops On Mountain Stage

The popular folk band makes its second appearance on West Virginia's most famous stage. Listen to a five-song set right here.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops On Mountain Stage

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Carolina Chocolate Drops And A String Band Tradition

From left: Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson of Carolina Chocolate Drops have just released their latest album, Genuine Negro Jig. Julie Roberts hide caption

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Julie Roberts

Music Interviews

Carolina Chocolate Drops And A String Band Tradition

Fresh Air

Though they work as a traditional African-American string band, Carolina Chocolate Drops' members throw in some modern twists. The Durham, N.C.-based trio plays a wide variety of instruments, including the banjo, fiddle, jug, bones and harmonica. All of those sounds are featured on the band's newest record, Genuine Negro Jig.

Carolina Chocolate Drops And A String Band Tradition

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Carolina Chocolate Drops: Tradition And Modern Twists

Two of the three members of Carolina Chocolate Drops are classically trained: Rhiannon Giddens (left) studied opera at the Oberlin Conservatory and Justin Robinson (center) studied classical violin. Dom Flemons (right) studied guitar and slam poetry. Julie Roberts hide caption

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Julie Roberts

Music Interviews

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Tradition And Modern Twists

Fresh Air

Though they work as a traditional African-American string band, Carolina Chocolate Drops' members throw in some modern twists. The Durham, N.C.-based trio plays a wide variety of instruments, including the banjo, fiddle, jug, bones and harmonica. All of those sounds are featured on the band's newest record, Genuine Negro Jig.

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Tradition And Modern Twists

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Carolina Chocolate Drops on World Cafe

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World Cafe

Carolina Chocolate Drops on World Cafe

WXPN

The band recently released its third album, Genuine Negro Jig, with the help of its inspiration, Joe Thompson. The album finds the trio reworking covers of classics, pop hits and carefully crafted originals. Together, CCD's members share a single passion: to keep the tradition of old-time string music alive, exciting and inventive.

Carolina Chocolate Drops on World Cafe

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Tradition From Jug To Kazoo

From left: Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson of Carolina Chocolate Drops have just released their latest album, Genuine Negro Jig. Julie Roberts hide caption

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Julie Roberts

Music Interviews

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Tradition From Jug To Kazoo

Fresh Air

Though they work as a traditional African-American string band, Carolina Chocolate Drops' members throw in some modern twists. The Durham, N.C.-based trio plays a wide variety of instruments, including the banjo, fiddle, jug, bones and harmonica. All of those sounds are featured on the band's newest record, Genuine Negro Jig.

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Tradition From Jug To Kazoo

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Carolina Chocolate Drops: Old-Time Music With A Twist

Rhiannon Giddens (from left), Justin Robinson and Dom Flemons of Carolina Chocolate Drops. Julie Roberts hide caption

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Julie Roberts

Studio Sessions

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Old-Time Music With A Twist

A traditional black string band with a modern twist, the group employs a range of traditional instruments: several banjos, a fiddle, a ceramic jug, bones and a kazoo, to name a few.

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Old-Time Music With A Twist

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Mountain Stage

Carolina Chocolate Drops On Mountain Stage

Steeped in the Piedmont blues of the North Carolina hill country, the trio breathes new life into the African-American string-band tradition. The group brings a claw-hammer banjo, fiddles, snare drum, bone percussion and even a kazoo to Mountain Stage.

Listen Now: Carolina Chocolate Drops On Mountain Stage

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Music

Carolina Chocolate Drops Keep Piedmont Sounds Alive

A trio of young black musicians aims to keep alive an old string-music style born in the rural Piedmont region of the Carolinas. Band mates Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson talk with Tony Cox about preserving black old-time music.

Carolina Chocolate Drops Keep Piedmont Sounds Alive

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