Carolina Chocolate Drops

Carolina Chocolate Drops
The Carolina Chocolate Drops performing in Birmingham, Alabama, in June 2008.
Background information
Origin	Durham, North Carolina, USA
Genres	Old-time, Americana, skiffle
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Nonesuch/Elektra Records Dixiefrog Music Maker
Website	www.carolinachocolatedrops.com
Members	Rhiannon Giddens Hubby Jenkins Rowan Corbett Malcolm Parson
Past members	Justin Robinson Adam Matta Dom Flemons Leyla McCalla

The Carolina Chocolate Drops is an old-time string band from Durham, North Carolina. Their 2010 album, Genuine Negro Jig, won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and was number 9 in FRoots magazine's top 10 albums of 2010.

Formed in November 2005, following the members' attendance at the first Black Banjo Gathering, held in Boone, North Carolina, in April 2005, the group grew out of the success of Sankofa Strings, an ensemble that featured Dom Flemons on bones, jug, guitar, and four-string banjo, Rhiannon Giddens on banjo and fiddle and Sule Greg Wilson on bodhran, brushes, tambourine, banjo and ukulele, with Justin Robinson as an occasional guest artist. All shared vocals. The purpose of Sankofa Strings was to present a gamut of African American musics: country and classic blues, early jazz and "hot music", string band numbers, African and Caribbean songs, and spoken word pieces. The Chocolate Drops' original three members: Giddens, Flemons, and Robinson, were all in their twenties when the group formed after Flemons' move from Phoenix (where he and Wilson lived), to North Carolina, home of Giddens and Robinson. Wilson, nearly a generation older than the Drops, was occasionally featured with CCD into 2010, including contributions to the band's recordings, Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind, CCD with Joe Thompson, Heritage (with songs culled from Sankofa Strings' CD, Colored Aristocracy) and nearly half of Genuine Negro Jig. All of the musicians sing and trade instruments including banjo, fiddle, guitar, harmonica, snare drum, bones, jug, and kazoo. The group learned much of their repertoire, which is based on the traditional music of the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina, from the eminent African American old-time fiddler Joe Thompson, although they also perform old-time versions of some modern songs such as Blu Cantrell's R&B hit "Hit 'em Up Style (Oops!)."