Rhiannon Giddens
Rhiannon Giddens (born February 21, 1977) is an American musician known for her eclectic folk music. She is a founding member of the country, blues, and old-time music band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she was the lead singer, fiddle player, and banjo player.
Rhiannon Giddens
Giddens is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina. In addition to her work with the Grammy-winning[1] Chocolate Drops, Giddens has released five solo albums: Tomorrow Is My Turn (2015) and Freedom Highway (2017), 2019 and 2021's There Is No Other and They're Calling Me Home (both collaborations with Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi), and You're the One (2023). She appears in the Smithsonian Folkways collection documenting Mike Seeger's final trip through Appalachia in 2009, Just Around The Bend: Survival and Revival in Southern Banjo Styles – Mike Seeger’s Last Documentary (2019).[2] In 2014, she participated in the T Bone Burnett-produced project titled The New Basement Tapes along with several other musicians, which set a series of recently discovered Bob Dylan lyrics to newly composed music. The resulting album, Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, was a top-40 Billboard album.
In 2023, the opera Omar, co-written by Giddens and Michael Abels, won the Pulitzer Prize for Music.[3][4]
Early life[edit]
Giddens is of multiracial ancestry. Her father, David Giddens, is European-American. Her mother, Deborah Jamieson, is a descendant of African Americans and Native American tribes including the Lumbee, Occaneechi, and Seminole.[5] David and Deborah met as college students in the city of Greensboro, North Carolina. Giddens' parents separated soon after her birth, when Deborah Giddens came out as a lesbian.[6]
Rhiannon and her sister Lalenja grew up in Greensboro and nearby rural Gibsonville.[7][8][9] Lalenja Harrington is a director for Beyond Academics, a four-year certificate program supporting students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A singer and songwriter herself, Harrington occasionally collaborates with her sister on musical projects.[10]
Acting[edit]
In 2017 and 2018, Giddens appeared in the fifth and sixth seasons of the CMT's Nashville as Hannah Lee "Hallie" Jordan, a social worker and gospel singer who is a significant character in Juliette's storyline.[55] Giddens appeared in 11 episodes and performed several songs that have been made available following each episode.
Documentary[edit]
Giddens is featured in the 2024 documentary Cover Your Ears produced by Prairie Coast Films and directed by Sean Patrick Shaul, discussing music censorship. [56]
Author[edit]
Rhiannon Giddens has announced that she will have four children's books published by Candlewick Press. The first two books, scheduled for release in Fall 2022, are based on the lyrics of her songs "Build A House" and "We Could Fly" with illustrations by Monica Mikai and Briana Mukodiri Uchendu respectively.[57]
Personal life[edit]
Giddens married Irish traditional musician Michael Laffan in 2007.[58] They have a daughter born in 2009 and a son born in 2013.[59] They had separated as of 2018.[60]
Giddens currently lives in Limerick, Ireland.[61] In 2019, Giddens began a relationship with her Italian musical partner Francesco Turrisi.[62] They released albums together in May 2019 and April 2021.[63][64]