Dom Flemons in Grand Rapids

Dom Flemons is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, born in Phoenix in 1982. He co-founded the old-time string band Carolina Chocolate Drops and played banjo, guitar, harmonica, bones and other traditional instruments in the group. Their album Genuine Negro Jig won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album, while his solo records include Prospect Hill and Black Cowboys, a Smithsonian Folkways project about Black history in the American West. During his years with Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dom Flemons toured widely and performed at the Grand Ole Opry and Newport Folk Festival. After leaving the group in 2013, he returned to theatres, concert halls and folk gatherings under his own name, switching among instruments as he sings and introduces the history behind the material. His solo appearances have included Carnegie Hall and the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.