Dom Flemons

Dominique Flemons (born August 30, 1982) is an American old-time music, Piedmont blues, and neotraditional country multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. He is known as "The American Songster" as his repertoire of music spans nearly a century of American folklore, ballads, and tunes. He has performed with Mike Seeger, Joe Thompson, Martin Simpson, Boo Hanks, Taj Mahal, Old Crow Medicine Show, Guy Davis, and The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. and for a Blues Music Award at the 40th Blues Music Award ceremony in the 'Acoustic Album' category. His 2023 album Traveling Wildfire was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album, at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

Biography Early life The Carolina Chocolate Drops performing at the City Stages Festival, in Birmingham, Alabama, United States in 2008. From left to right: Dom Flemons, jug; Rhiannon Giddens, 5-string banjo; Justin Robinson, fiddleFormed 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 Súle Greg Wilson on bodhrán, brushes, washboard, bones, tambourine, banjo, banjolin, and ukulele, with Justin Robinson as an occasional guest artist.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops released five albums including 2012's Leaving Eden, and one EP, whilst Flemons was a member, and opened for Taj Mahal and, in 2011, Bob Dylan. They performed on Mountain Stage, MerleFest, and at the Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention. Additionally they have performed on A Prairie Home Companion, Fresh Air, and BBC Radio in early 2010, and at the 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, and at the 2011 Romp, in Owensboro, Kentucky. On January 17, 2012, they appeared live on BBC Radio 3. They performed on the Grand Ole Opry several times. They also appeared on the UK's BBC Television program, Later... with Jools Holland.

On November 12, 2013, the Carolina Chocolate Drops announced that Flemons would be leaving to continue his own solo career.

Solo career Flemons' solo career began while he was still a member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. He self-released his debut solo album in 2007, Dance Tunes Ballads & Blues.

In 2014, Prospect Hill saw Flemons enlist other musicians on his recording. These included Ron Brendle (bass), Guy Davis (banjo, harmonica, percussion and backing vocals), Keith Ganz (banjo and guitar), Brian Horton (clarinet, saxophone), Ben Hunter (drums, fiddle, backing vocals), Pura Fé (backing vocals), Joe Seamons (backing vocals) and Kobie Watkins (drums). The album saw releases on both the Fat Possum and Music Maker labels. The album received national press coverage. Flemons was then a member of Music Maker Relief Foundation's Next Generation Artists program, and served on Music Maker's board of directors. He continues to discover young talent for the Foundation to assist and has promoted, recorded, and performed with more mature Music Maker artists including John Dee Holeman, Boo Hanks, Captain Luke, and Macavine Hayes.

Black Cowboys, Flemons' next album, entailed depicting the story of African Americans who helped to shape the American West, and the tunes they were familiar with. These included American cowboy Nat Love and Bass Reeves, the first Black Deputy US Marshal west of the Mississippi, who some believe was the model for the Lone Ranger. Flemons duly wrote a song about the leading black movie cowboy of his time, Bill Pickett, and used other stories including cowboys who became Pullman porters and, in turn, became important figures in the civil rights movement. Black Cowboys (2018) was issued as part of the African American Legacy Recordings series issued in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Flemons played old musical instruments such as the six-string banjo and the quills, as was originally used by Henry Thomas.

In 2017, Flemons was featured on David Holt's State of Music on PBS. He also performed as the bluesman Joe Hill Louis on CMT's television program Sun Records. Flemons launched a podcast, American Songster Radio, on WUNC National Public Radio and issued a couple of instructional DVD's via Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop.

Collaborations In 2012, Flemons collaborated to record an album with the Piedmont blues guitarist and singer Boo Hanks, entitled Buffalo Junction. It was released on Fledg'ling Records.

Personal life As of 2019, Flemons lived in the Washington, D.C. area. As of 2025, he had been living in the Chicago, Illinois, area for several years. In 2017 he married Vania Kinard (who also serves as his manager and creative collaborator), and they have one daughter, Cheyanne Love.

Accolades and awards The Boston Globe wrote that "most folk artists go by 'singer-songwriter' or simply 'musician.' But 'American songster' speaks to a greater truth about the work Flemons, a multi-instrumentalist, has accomplished as a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and (...) as a solo artist."

Flemons won a Grammy Award as part of the Carolina Chocolate Drops for their album, Genuine Negro Jig. His latest solo album, Black Cowboys (2018), was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album and for a 2019 Blues Music Award in the 'Acoustic Album' category.

In 2025, Flemons was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame under the Promotion category.

Discography Albums Year Title Collaboration Record label 2007 Dance Tunes Ballads & Blues CD Baby 2008 American Songster Music Maker 2012 Buffalo Junction with Boo Hanks Music Maker 2014 Prospect Hill Fat Possum Records / Music Maker 2016 A Selection of Ever Popular Favourites with Martin Simpson Fledg'ling Records 2018 Black Cowboys Smithsonian Folkways 2023 Traveling Wildfire Smithsonian Folkways

Singles Year A-side B-side Record label 2019 "Long Journey Home" & "There's A Brown Skinned Girl Down The Road" "Po' Black Sheep" Need to Know

Selected other recordings 2008: Heritage : Carolina Chocolate Drops :4-String Banjo, Clappers, Drums (Snare), Jug, Percussion, Vocals 2009: Carolina Chocolate Drops & Joe Thompson :Carolina Chocolate Drops / Joe Thompson :Vocals, Guitar, Jug 2009: All the Pretty Horses : The Elftones / Rhiannon Giddens :Banjo, Harmonica 2009: Drunken Barrel House Blues : Eden and John's East River String Band :Guest Artist, Dancer, Guitar, Harmonica, Jug, Quills, Vocals 2010: Genuine Negro Jig : Carolina Chocolate Drops :4-String Banjo, arranger, composer, Drums (Bass), Foot Percussion, Guitar, Jug, Throat Singing, Vocals 2010: Carolina Chocolate Drops/Luminescent Orchestrii (EP) : Carolina Chocolate Drops / Luminescent Orchestrii :4-String Banjo, composer, Handclapping, lyricist, Vocals 2011: Be Kind to a Man When He's Down : Eden and John's East River String Band :Guest Artist 2012: Voice of Ages : The Chieftains :Arranger, Quills 2012: Leaving Eden : Carolina Chocolate Drops :4-String Banjo, arranger, composer, Drums (Bass), Drums (Snare), Guitar, Jug, Quills, Vocals 2013: Celebrates 50 Years of Music : Tom Rush :Banjo, composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Harmonica, Pan Pipes, Vocal Harmony, Vocals 2014: Haven't Got the Blues (Yet) : Loudon Wainwright III :Harmonica, Jug 2015: American Originals : Cincinnati Pops Orchestra / John Morris Russell :Banjo, Harmonia, Percussion, Vocals