A founding member of the Grammy-winning, old-time string band The Carolina Chocolate Drops, singer and fiddle/banjo player Rhiannon Giddens has exploded onto the public eye this year with the release of her debut solo record Tomorrow Is My Turn.
Giddens was an opera student at the Oberlin Conservatory before returning to her home in North Carolina and immersing herself in the traditional rural music of the South. She formed the Carolina Chocolate Drops in 2005 along with kindred spirits Dom Flemons and Justin Robinson; the trio intent on excavating and breathing new life into the African-American string band tradition. After several records and some high profile festival appearances, the band found a wider audience with their Grammy-winning effort Genuine Negro Jig. Giddens’ profile skyrocketed after her riveting guest performance at the star-studded T-Bone Burnett-produced “Another Day, Another Time” concert in New York City (which subsequently became a Showtime documentary). Burnett then tapped Giddens to take part in the Lost Basement Tapes project along with Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James. That experience led to Giddens tapping Burnett to produce her debut record, which came out to great acclaim in early 2015.
“Ms. Giddens’ glorious voice… merges an opera singer’s detail and a deep connection to Southern roots…For all her technical control, her voice is a perpetually soulful marvel.” -New York Times
Rhiannon Giddens performs in Kansas City on October 11th at 8pm at Folly Theater, 300 West 12th Street.
For additional information, contact Folly Theater at 474-4444 or www.follytheater.org
–Brittney McGinley
