Carolina Chocolate Drops | Our State - Small format

In the Piedmont, traditional black stringmusic ensembles featured the banjo as lead instrument with a fiddle or guitar as accompaniment if one was available. There’s a new force in stringband music that’s reviving the Piedmont’s musical heritage. Using a variety of traditional old-time instruments, Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson and Dom Flemons form the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Their tutelage under Joe Thompson, said to be the last black traditional string music player, along with their diverse musical backgrounds, has helped them carry on the area’s musical traditions. Come meet these outstanding musicians and hear how Carolina Piedmont stringmusic is going strong.