Career Timeline of Rhiannon Giddens: Major Achievements and Milestones
Discover the career path of Rhiannon Giddens, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Rhiannon Giddens is a highly acclaimed American musician celebrated for her diverse folk music repertoire. As a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, she gained prominence as the lead singer, fiddle player, and banjo player, showcasing her versatility and deep understanding of country, blues, and old-time music. Giddens' work often explores themes of American history, particularly the contributions and experiences of African Americans in music. Beyond her instrumental and vocal skills, she is a respected music historian and advocate for preserving and promoting traditional music forms.
1918: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Recording
In 2017, a week after performing with the Louisville Orchestra, Rhiannon sang with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra for their live recording of American Originals: 1918, which explored the early development of jazz during the post WWI era.
2003: Reconnection and Musical Collaboration
In 2003, Rhiannon Giddens reconnected with middle school classmate Cheryse McLeod Lewis. The two friends started singing together.
2005: Participation in the Black Banjo Gathering and Formation of Sankofa Strings
In 2005, Rhiannon Giddens attended the Black Banjo Then and Now Gathering in Boone, North Carolina. She met Dom Flemons and Súle Greg Wilson and they formed Sankofa Strings. Giddens was also a caller at contra dances and featured in the band Gaelwynd.
2007: Collaboration on Talitha MacKenzie's Album
In 2007, Rhiannon Giddens contributed fiddle, banjo, dancing, and vocals to Talitha MacKenzie's album, 'Indian Summer'.
2008: Recording Begins for 'Because I Knew You...'
In 2008, Rhiannon Giddens and Cheryse McLeod Lewis began recording music for their CD 'Because I Knew You...'.
2009: Release of 'Because I Knew You...'
In 2009, Rhiannon Giddens and Cheryse McLeod Lewis, as the duo Eleganza, released the CD 'Because I Knew You...', consisting of classical, religious, theater, and movie music.
2009: Appalachia Documentary Appearance
In 2009, Rhiannon Giddens appeared in the Smithsonian Folkways collection documenting Mike Seeger's final trip through Appalachia titled, 'Just Around The Bend: Survival and Revival in Southern Banjo Styles – Mike Seeger's Last Documentary'.
November 12, 2013: Solo Original Member of Carolina Chocolate Drops
As of November 12, 2013, Rhiannon Giddens became the only original member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
2014: Participation in The New Basement Tapes Project
In 2014, Rhiannon Giddens participated in 'The New Basement Tapes' project, produced by T Bone Burnett, setting newly composed music to recently discovered Bob Dylan lyrics. The resulting album, 'Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes', reached the Billboard top 40.
2014: Collaboration on 'Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes'
In early 2014, Rhiannon Giddens recorded 'Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes' alongside Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Taylor Goldsmith, and Jim James, produced by T Bone Burnett.
February 2015: Release of Debut Solo Album
In February 2015, Rhiannon Giddens released her debut solo album, 'Tomorrow Is My Turn', on Nonesuch Records, produced by T Bone Burnett. The album features songs made famous by Patsy Cline, Odetta, Dolly Parton, Nina Simone, and others.
July 2015: Performance at TFF Rudolstadt and Release of "Ballad of Lennon Lacy"
In July 2015, Rhiannon Giddens performed at TFF Rudolstadt in Germany, broadcasted by Deutschlandfunk. She also appeared on Jon Lindsay's single "Ballad of Lennon Lacy".
December 11, 2015: Digital Release of Factory Girl EP
On December 11, 2015, Rhiannon Giddens' 'Factory Girl' EP was released digitally.
2015: Release of 'Tomorrow Is My Turn'
In 2015, Rhiannon Giddens released her solo album, 'Tomorrow Is My Turn'.
December 31, 2015: Appearance on Jools Holland's Hootenanny
On December 31, 2015, Rhiannon Giddens appeared on Jools Holland's Hootenanny on BBC Two, performing songs from her album 'Tomorrow Is My Turn'.
January 2016: Participation in Transatlantic Sessions
In January 2016, Rhiannon Giddens participated in Transatlantic Sessions, performing as part of Celtic Connections in Glasgow and on a UK/Irish tour.
October 8, 2016: Appearance on Austin City Limits
On October 8, 2016, Rhiannon Giddens was featured on Austin City Limits.
2016: Folk Singer of the Year and Steve Martin Prize
In 2016, Rhiannon Giddens was honored as Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and received the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Also in 2016, The Carolina Chocolate Drops were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
June 2017: Appearance in The American Epic Sessions
In June 2017, Rhiannon Giddens appeared in 'The American Epic Sessions', recording "One Hour Mama" and "Pretty Saro" on the restored first electrical sound recording system. The performances were released on the soundtrack.
October 2017: Named a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow
In October 2017, Rhiannon Giddens was named a 2017 MacArthur "Genius" Fellow.
2017: Appearance on Nashville Season 5
In 2017, Rhiannon Giddens appeared in the fifth season of CMT's 'Nashville' as Hannah Lee "Hallie" Jordan, a social worker and gospel singer.
2017: Release of 'Freedom Highway'
In 2017, Rhiannon Giddens released her solo album, 'Freedom Highway'.
2017: Vacancy of Artistic Director of Silkroad
In July 2020, Rhiannon Giddens was named Artistic Director of the cross-cultural music organization Silkroad. The position had been vacant since 2017 when Silkroad's founder, Yo-Yo Ma, stepped down.
January 2018: Co-production of Songs of Our Native Daughters
In January 2018, Rhiannon Giddens co-produced (with Dirk Powell) 'Songs of Our Native Daughters' for Smithsonian Folkways, with Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell.
March 2018: Guest Curator for Cambridge Folk Festival
In March 2018, Rhiannon Giddens served as guest curator for the Cambridge Folk Festival in England.
October 2018: Release of 'Red Dead Redemption 2' featuring 'Mountain Hymn'
In October 2018, Rhiannon Giddens contributed the song "Mountain Hymn", co-written with Daniel Lanois, to the video game 'Red Dead Redemption 2'.
December 2018: Hosting 'Aria Code' Podcast
In December 2018, Rhiannon Giddens began hosting the podcast 'Aria Code' with Rhiannon Giddens, produced by the Metropolitan Opera and WQXR-FM.
2018: Appearance on Nashville Season 6
In 2018, Rhiannon Giddens appeared in the sixth season of CMT's 'Nashville' as Hannah Lee "Hallie" Jordan, a social worker and gospel singer.
February 2019: Premiere of Lucy Negro, Redux
In February 2019, the Nashville Ballet premiered 'Lucy Negro, Redux', a dance with music commissioned from Rhiannon Giddens.
May 2019: Began Relationship and Released Album
In May 2019, Rhiannon Giddens began a relationship with her Italian musical partner Francesco Turrisi and they released albums together.
2019: Documentary Appearance
In 2019, Rhiannon Giddens appeared in the Smithsonian Folkways collection documenting Mike Seeger's final trip through Appalachia titled, 'Just Around The Bend: Survival and Revival in Southern Banjo Styles – Mike Seeger's Last Documentary'.
2019: Album Releases: 'Songs of Our Native Daughters' and 'There Is No Other'
In 2019, Rhiannon Giddens released two studio albums: 'Songs of Our Native Daughters' with Allison Russell, Leyla McCalla, and Amythyst Kiah, and 'There Is No Other' with Francesco Turrisi.
July 2020: Artistic Director of Silkroad
In July 2020, Rhiannon Giddens was named Artistic Director of the cross-cultural music organization Silkroad.
2020: Commission for 'Omar' Opera
In 2020, Rhiannon Giddens was commissioned to create the opera 'Omar' for the Spoleto Festival USA, based on the autobiography of Omar Ibn Said. She wrote the libretto and was the lead composer with Michael Abels.
April 2021: Album Release
In April 2021, Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi released albums together.
2021: Collaboration and Album Release
In 2021, Rhiannon Giddens collaborated with Francesco Turrisi and released the album 'There Is No Other'. Also in 2021, she released 'They're Calling Me Home', also in collaboration with Francesco Turrisi.
2022: Children's Books Publication Announcement
In 2022, Rhiannon Giddens announced that Candlewick Press would publish four of her children's books. The first two, based on her songs "Build A House" and "We Could Fly" and illustrated by Monica Mikai and Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, are scheduled for release in Fall 2022.
2022: Featured in "Black Fiddlers" Documentary
In 2022, Rhiannon Giddens appeared in the documentary "Black Fiddlers", produced by Heritage Film Project and directed by Eduardo Montes-Bradley, alongside Justin Robinson. In the film, she shares memories of Joe Thomson and Odell Thomson.
2022: Musical director of the 2023 Ojai Music Festival
In 2022, Rhiannon Giddens was named the musical director of the 2023 Ojai Music Festival.
2022: Postponed Premiere of Omar
Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world premiere of Omar was postponed until 2022.
2023: Pulitzer Prize for Omar
In 2023, Omar received the Pulitzer Prize in Music.
2023: Release of 'You're the One'
In 2023, Rhiannon Giddens released her solo album, 'You're the One'.
July 2024: Headlined Gate to Southwell Festival
On 7th July 2024, Rhiannon Giddens and her band headlined the Gate to Southwell Festival.
2024: Featured in "Cover Your Ears" Documentary
In 2024, Rhiannon Giddens is featured in the documentary "Cover Your Ears", produced by Prairie Coast Films and directed by Sean Patrick Shaul, where she discusses music censorship.
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