Rhiannon Giddens is an American musician known for her work in the folk genre as well as being a founding member of the old-time music group the Carolina Chocolate Drops. She is also a two-time Grammy Award and Pulitzer-Prize winner, singer, and instrumentalist. As an artist, she has released five solo albums as well as five albums with the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Furthermore, Giddens is a notable advocate and face for the revival of folk music as a black form of expression. As stated on her website, “Giddens has centered her work around the mission of lifting up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been overlooked or erased, and advocating for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art.”

Rhiannon Giddens is a powerful force within Black music; however, her musicianship has been influenced by the lineage of great artists in other genres like Aretha Franklin and Dolly Parton. Giddens artistry not only encapsulates her sultry and notably experienced voice but also extends to her complex use of the fiddle and banjo. Moreover, an inflation in certain notes to emphasize and elongate a lyric is a constant feature in songs like “Shake Sugaree,” “You’re the One,” and “Wayfaring Stranger,” evoking deep emotions and and successfully conveying the intentionality of her songs for her audience. 

In essence, Giddens has created waves in the idea and face of folk music and continues to build an undeniable legacy in the history of black music as a whole.