Multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Rhiannon Giddens, winner of multiple Grammy awards, has dedicated her professional life to exploring deeply the rich traditions of folk and roots music from old-time and blues to Celtic, country, and gospel.
This spring, she joined forces with old friend and fiddler Justin Robinson—her former bandmate in Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops—on a new, emotionally charged endeavor paying tribute to the heritage of Black musical traditions in their home state of North Carolina.
Their new album, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow (Nonesuch), thoughtfully honors the roots that shaped their musical journey. Accompanied by banjo and fiddle alone, Giddens and Robinson bring fresh life to 18 antique North Carolina folk songs. The album pays tribute to their mentor, Joe Thompson, a renowned old-time fiddler who played a key role in preserving the musical heritage of Black southern string bands from the 1920s and ’30s.
Thompson, who passed in 2012 at the age of 93, remains central to the careers of both Giddens and Robinson. The duo also cite the influence of Piedmont blues guitarist Etta Baker, and recorded several of the songs on the same soil Thompson and Baker originally frequented—owing the endeavor to intimacy and respect.
It opens with “Rain Crow,” the Piedmont string-band tradition done up by Thompson, whose words gave the title to the album. The playing—by Greensboro rapper/multi-instrumentalist Justin “Demeanor” Harrington on bones—is a celebratory tribute to music in the area.
When Giddens brings the Old-Time Revue to Thalia Hall, she’ll be joined by Robinson, Harrington, multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, guitarist Amelia Powell, and bassist Jason Sypher. While sometimes adding rich historical background to her shows, these performances are far from academically oriented. Expect a rowdy evening of foot-stomping, unrelenting interpretations of traditional fare, as well as pieces from her solo material—all played with passion, precision, and tremendous respect for the music’s heritage.
