Rhiannon Giddens: Looking Back (Looking Forward)

Call & Response

“Nostalgia is a killer of truth” says roots musician Rhiannon Giddens. “Musically, what I try to do is just tell as much truth as I can.” In the first episode of Call & Response, Adia sinks into conversation with Rhiannon, and together, they trace the lineage of the banjo from the Caribbean to the Carolinas and question the whitewashing of American folk and blues music. Plus, hear a playlist made by Adia of artists who’ve used their music to reframe the sound of the south. Head over to http://bit.ly/cr-rhiannon to hear the playlist.

/Show Notes/

Rhiannon Giddens’ new album is They’re Calling Me Home.

Rhiannon talks about the akonting, an African ancestor to contemporary American banjos.

Learn more about Frank Johnson, the artist Adia talks about who was whitewashed out of music history.

Adia describes how important Nina Simone’s Four Women is to her, and the impact of listening to Kaia Kater’s music.

Rhiannon says the theme for Japanese TV show Midnight Diner, “Omoide” is the song that’s giving her life right now.

/Music In This Week's Playlist/

Rhiannon Giddens, I Shall Not be Moved

Kaia Kater, Southern Girl

Roseanne Cash, The Killing Fields

Jesse Clarence Gorman, Going up to the Country #1

Valerie June ft. Carla Thomas, Call Me A Fool

Amethyst Kiah, Black Myself

Linda Martell, You’re Crying Boy, Crying

The Moving Starhall Singers, You Got To Move

/ Credits /

Call & Response is a Sonos show produced by work x work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, Adia Victoria, Babette Thomas and Megan Lubin. Our engineers are Sam Bair and Josh Hahn of The Relic Room.