Live Downloads is offering Carolina Chocolate Drops’ five-song set from Merle Fest’s Cabin Stage this past April. The group of young African-American stringband musicians is keeping the rich tradition of fiddle and banjo music native to the Carolinas’ piedmont alive. While often thought of as an Appalachian creation, the antebellum combination of banjo and fiddle used to be a tradition in most black rural communities in the South.
The band is mentored by fiddle player Joe Thompson of Mebane, NC. They seek to carry on his tradition and the tradition of black musicians like Odell and Nate Thompson, Dink Roberts, John Snipes, Libba Cotten, Emp White, and countless others.
[MP3 Offering: “Georgie Buck” live from Merle Fest, 4/27/07]