Honoring the African Legacy, Sound and Craftsmanship of the Banjo
The banjo is almost as symbolic of U.S. culture as the Washington Monument, and, just like the obelisk, it was created by people from the African continent.
Rhiannon Giddens
Rhiannon Giddens’ BBC Radio 4 Series – Black Roots
In a BBC Radio 4 three-part series Rhiannon Giddens explores how African American roots music has been whitewashed from the history of American folk and country music. String bands, hoedowns, square dances, old-time fiddle and banjo styles, these sounds were a dominant strand in African American roots music from the 17th century onwards.
Why These Four Banjo-Playing Women Resurrected the Songs of the Enslaved
Music producer and composer Dirk Powell pointed to the back of the control room. I was filming him at Cypress House, his studio in Louisiana. “Rhiannon was sitting right there on that green Naugahyde couch, and I was in that little room playing the guitar, and she had the talkback mic.”