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Recommended Reading + LISTENING
Our Fake History (podcast) | Listen
The History Chicks (podcast) | Listen
Go Back and Fetch It: Recovering Early Black Music in the Americas for Fiddle and Banjo
by Kristina Gaddy and Rhiannon Giddens
purchase
Cuba and its Music
by Ned Sublette
purchase
Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics: Roots and Branches of Southern Appalachian Dance
by Phil Jamison
purchase
A People's History of the United States
by Howard Zinn
purchase
Banjo Roots and Branches
by Robert B. Winans
purchase
African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia: Study Folk Traditions
by Cecelia Conway
purchase
Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War
by Nicholas Lemann
purchase
The Half Has Never Been Told
by Edward E. Baptist
purchase
Demons of Disorder: Early Blackface Minstrels and their World
by Dale Cockrell
purchase
Ralph Peer and the Making of Popular Roots Music
by Barry Mazor
purchase
Beneath the Skin of Sorrow: Improvisations on Loss
by Nnenna Freelon
purchase
My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future
by Alice Randall
purchase
Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History
by Kristina Gaddy
purchase
The Banjo: America’s African Instrument
by Laurent Dubois
purchase
The American Slave Coast: A History of the Slave-Breeding Industry
by Ned Sublette
purchase
Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War
by Dena J. Epstein
purchase
Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon
by Anthony Harkins
purchase
The Creolization of American Culture: William Sidney Mount and the Roots of Blackface Minstrelsy
by Christopher J. Smith
purchase
Build A House (children’s book)
by Rhiannon Giddens; illustrated by Monica Mikai
purchase
We Could Fly (children’s book)
by Rhiannon Giddens; illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu
purchase
The Taste of Country Cooking: The 30th Anniversary Edition of a Great Southern Classic Cookbook
by Edna Lewis
purchase
Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals
by Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs
purchase
The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks
by Toni Tipton-Martin
purchase
Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family: A Cookbook
by Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams
purchase
Become a patron of Rhiannonon Patreon to learn more deeply about her instruments, watch unreleased performances and talks, get book recommendations, and more.
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TV & Podcasts
My Music with Rhiannon Giddens
A half-hour series on PBS of musical performances and conversations with outstanding guest artists hand-picked by Rhiannon Giddens and filmed on location.
The Banjo: Music, History and Heritage
Explore the sonic breadth of the banjo, and delve into its fascinating, largely unknown history in this 10-episode series that takes you across time and cultures.
Black Roots (BBC)
Rhiannon explores the history of African American roots music through the stories of forgotten black pioneers in Black Roots, a 3-part series on BBC4.
String bands, hoedowns, square dances, old-time fiddle and banjo styles, these sounds were dominant in Black roots music from the 17th century onwards.
Aria Code
Rhiannon is the host of Aria Code, a podcast about opera from WQXR and the Met Opera, episodes of which have been downloaded over one million times.
Aria Code was named among the best podcasts of 2019 by Cosmopolitan and Stereogum, and the best podcasts of 2020 by Indie Wire.
Government Song Woman (BBC)
Rhiannon hosted a documentary on folk song collector Sidney Robertson Cowell for BBC Radio 3. Traveling thousands of miles all over the US in the depression era (and even the Aran Islands in Ireland), Cowell was willing to track down songs in unlikely places.
American Railroad
American Railroad is a five-episode podcast that seeks to right historical wrongs by highlighting the untold stories and unheard voices from the diverse communities that built America’s railway systems. Each episode weaves together music, storytelling, and historical analysis.
To Balance on Bridges
Blending songs and stories from shared and personal histories, To Balance on Bridges finds Rhiannon in continued pursuit of truth in all its raw and underexposed forms. Listen as Rhiannon leads us through a multitude of musical styles, lyrical patterns, and instrumentation confronting questions on race, culture, appropriation, and class with searing precision.
Musical Routes
A six-episode show on Apple Music Country illustrating the many intersections between country/roots music and global music traditions, including Celtic music, Caribbean music, Indigenous music, and more. Listeners will discover new artists, broaden their own musical knowledge, and enjoy unscripted, far-reaching conversations from two of music’s most encyclopedic minds.
Guest Host: The Evening Show with Terrance McKnight (WQXR)
During her guest host hour for WQXR, Rhiannon highlights the music of Black composers ranging from the 1700s to today, and from the worlds of jazz, musical theater, and classical music.