By Ashley Shields, NYS Writers Institute intern
Country music, in recent times, has a very contentious reputation regarding what it is and who can play it. When I first heard Dom Flemons, both as a soloist and as a member of the grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, I was dragged back to remembering the music I grew up listening to in South Carolina.
To my untrained ear, this was what country music sounded like. But that was more of a feeling than any meaningful genre signifier. However, while researching, I realized that Flemons’s music -- and the music I heard as a child -- is best characterized as folk music. And it certainly feels like it: There is a homey-ness to the music, a reminder of the sounds around us.
The banjo is an instrument that has an incredible history and deep ties to the American South and Appalachia. According to Geoffrey Clarfield of The Brooklyn Rail, black banjo music saw a decline since the Depression and while he was looking for “portents of a revival of old-time black banjo music,” he sat down with Dom Flemons.
Upon reflecting on his journey with music, Flemons remarked, “There is no doubt in my mind that this music had to wait a long time before it could be rediscovered by the black community. African-Americans such as Rhiannon, Hubby, Leyla, and myself come from a new generation that can take the time to explore these repertoires with a new outlook and a distance from the past,” as the reason he, and others, were able to merge diverse genres. Not lost to time and not completely remade, the remaking of folk music seems to be multi-layered with both history, context, and imagination.
Dom Flemons has a laundry list of accomplishments, chief among them is his proficiency in multiple instruments. According to Musicmaker.org, Flemons is an expert in playing the banjo, guitar, harmonica, percussion, and others. Flemons, in addition to his musical proficiency, is himself a scholar and historian of music.
Born in Arizona, Flemons later attended college at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. He co-founded the Carolina Chocolate Drops in 2006, they then went on to win a Grammy for folk music in 2010 for Genuine Negro Jig. He has since had a successful solo career with four Grammy nominations, two Emmy nominations, and was awarded the International Acoustic Music Award Grand Prize.
Flemons will join us on Thursday, October 31 in connection with our earlier screening of the documentary Lead Belly: Man and Myth, Truth and Lies. The film explored the life and influence of blues singer Lead Belly, featuring interviews from fellow music legends shaped and influenced by his work.
Dom Flemons graciously will help to shine light and knowledge on the documentary, and for anyone on the fence, please enjoy this video of a performance by Dom Flemons.
Thursday, October 31 (two events with Dom Flemons and author/historian Sheila Curran Bernard)
4:30 p.m. - Craft Talk
University at Albany
Multi-Purpose Room
Campus Center West
1400 Washington Avenue, Albany NY 12222
7:30 p.m. - Conversation Q&A
University at Albany Downtown Campus
Page Hall
135 Western Avenue, Albany NY 12203
More about Dom Flemons at https://www.theamericansongster.com/
Comments