Today, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson have shared “Going to Raleigh” from their upcoming album of North Carolina fiddle and banjo music What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow (April 18 / Nonesuch Records). Originally released in 1939 by western North Carolina string band The Carolina Playboys, this version (learned by Robinson from Evelyn Shaw) was recorded at the historic former plantation Mill Prong House & Preservation in Red Springs, NC.
Giddens says, “Mill Prong is located on a complicated patch of land - once owned by an indigenous farmer subsequently kicked off the land, bought by Gaels (an oppressed population overseas) who then bought African Americans to work it - a microcosm of American history. ‘Going to Raleigh’ was recorded by a nearby stream that has seen it all.”
Watch the video for “Going to Raleigh,” filmed at Mill Prong House, HERE
Produced by Giddens and Joseph "joebass" DeJarnette, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow finds Giddens and Robinson reuniting to play eighteen of their favorite North Carolina tunes: a mix of instrumentals and tunes with words. Many were learned from their late mentor, the legendary North Carolina Piedmont musician Joe Thompson, one of the last musicians of his era and his community to carry on the southern Black string band tradition; one song is from another musical hero, the late Etta Baker, from whom they also learned by listening to recordings of her playing. Giddens and Robinson recorded outdoors at Thompson’s and Baker’s North Carolina homes. They were accompanied by the sounds of nature, including a roaring chorus of cicadas, creating a unique soundscape. Watch the previously released videos for “Hook and Line” and “Marching Jaybird.”
In further tribute to Giddens’ North Carolina roots, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow will arrive just a week before Biscuits & Banjos, the inaugural edition of her first festival. Taking place April 25–27 in downtown Durham and curated by Giddens, Biscuits & Banjos highlights the deep roots and enduring legacy of Black music, art, and culture while fostering community and storytelling. The sold-out festival will feature a much-anticipated Carolina Chocolate Drops reunion, their first performance together in more than a decade.
The full festival schedule will be unveiled on April 4 and include a robust offering of free, community programming and a Biscuit Trail activating local restaurants with biscuit-inspired cuisine, alongside musical performances and panel conversations with chefs, authors, artists and scholars alike.
The panels include:
Black Voices in Country Music: A Conversation with Rhiannon Giddens, Rissi Palmer, and Alice Randall
Let the Church Say Amen!: Ritual, Storytelling, and the Oral Tradition with Dasan Ahanu and Dr. Lalenja Harrington
Intentional Community: Celebrating Black Voices in Festivals and Live Events with Holly G, Brandi Waller-Pace, Rissi Palmer, and Dr. Dena Ross Jennings
The Art of the Biscuit A Conversation with Michael Twitty, Toni Tipton-Martin, and Ricky Moore, presented by Biscuitville
The full line up can be viewed now on biscuitsandbanjos.com/lineup
Biscuits & Banjos is a non-profit, community responsive festival. Funding for Biscuits & Banjos is made possible in part by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the National Endowment for the Arts, North Carolina Humanities, the Danielle Rose Paikin Foundation, the Harper House Music Foundation, the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Warner Music Group & Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund (a sponsored project of Moore Impact), Duke Arts, Duke Community Affairs, 21c Museum Hotel, Biscuitville, the City of Durham, Durham County, Discover Durham, North Carolina Arts Council, Durham Arts Council, American Tobacco Campus, Blue Ridge Music Center, Sugarlands Distilling Company, Bull City Burger and Brewery, Proximity Brewing Company, Old Hillside Bourbon, Deering Banjos, Elderly Instruments, The Durham Hotel, The Hello in There Foundation, American Tobacco Campus, and other generous individual donors, sponsors, civic, and community partners.
Earlier this month, Giddens announced a number of new dates on her Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue tour–featuring Robinson and four other string musicians, including multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell. On June 18 they will headline the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, joined by special guests Our Native Daughters– in their first performance since 2022–as well as Steve Martin, Ed Helms, and more. Additional shows in July have been added to the itinerary as well; see below for the full list.
Pre-order the album here: https://giddensrobinson.lnk.to/BlackbirdCrow
What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow Track List:
Rain Crow
Brown’s Dream
Hook and Line
Pumpkin Pie
Duck’s Eyeball
Ryestraw
Little Brown Jug
Going to Raleigh
Country Waltz
Molly Put the Kettle On
Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
John Henry
Love Somebody
Ebenezer
Old Joe Clark
Old Molly Hare
Marching Jaybird
Walkin’ in the Parlor
Tour Dates:
April 25-27 - Durham, NC - Biscuits & Banjos
April 30 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
May 2 - Miami, FL - Miami Beach Bandshell
May 3 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
May 4 - Birmingham, AL - Jemison Concert Hall @ Alys Robinson Stephens Center
May 7 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
May 8 - Cincinnati, OH - Memorial Hall
May 9 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
May 11 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
May 13 - Grand Rapids, MI - St. Cecilia Music Center
May 15 - Toronto, ON - Koerner Hall at The Royal Conservatory of Music
May 16 - Toronto, ON - Koerner Hall at The Royal Conservatory of Music
May 17 - Ottawa, ON - National Arts Centre, Southam Hall
June 15 - Napa, CA - Uptown Theatre
June 16 - Ventura, CA - Ventura Theater
June 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl (with Our Native Daughters, Steve Martin, Ed Helms, Leyla McCalla, Amythyst Kiah and Allison Brown)
June 19 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park
June 21 - Berkeley, CA - Zellerbach
June 23 - Seattle, WA - The Moore Theater
June 26 - Montréal, QC - Théâtre Maisonneuve @ Montreal Jazz Festival
July 11 - Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson Theatre
July 12 - Flagstaff, AZ - Pepsi Amphitheater
July 14 - Santa Fe, NM - Lensic Performing Arts Center
July 18 - Sonoma, CA - Green Music Center
July 19 - Navarro, CA - Redwood Ramble
July 21 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery
July 25 - Boise, ID - Egyptian Theater
July 28 - Boulder, CO - Chautauqua Park
July 29 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
July 31 - Vail, CO - Vilar Performing Arts Center
