Tag Archives: rhiannon-giddens

“We gotta change around here,” Mavis Staples sang toward the very end of Wednesday night’s 18th annual Americana Honors & Awards Ceremony at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Having been presented the evening’s Inspiration Award by pioneering Civil Rights activist and Freedom Rider Ernest Patton earlier in the evening, Staples’ song was …

As far as musical excavators go, few are as unflinching as Rhiannon Giddens. Through her work with the Carolina Chocolate Drops and a growing body of solo material, the 42-year-old multi-instrumentalist has mined the darkest recesses of the American subconscious to give voice to the used, abused and oppressed. But …