Joseph Emidy was born in West Africa, but his story was popularized in the Americas. He was supposedly taught how to play the fiddle by his slave master in Brazil. He then moved to Portugal and began playing the fiddle in the Lisbon Opera. After he was discharged and enslaved for several more years, he became Cornwall’s #1 violinist and took leadership in the Truro Philharmonic Society in England; from slave to musical icon.
The tragic story of Solomon Northup, popularly known as the main character in the novel and movie,12 Years a Slave (2013), was a fiddler. He was a freed man that tried to pursue his musical career, but was then kidnapped back into slavery.
Rhiannon Giddens, a modern folk musician from North Carolina, plays a multitude of instruments including the banjo and the fiddle. She plays in the musical group, Carolina Chocolate Drops and has her own solo act, as well. She has been nominated for many awards and won a grammy for “Best Traditional Folk album” in 2011.