Dom Flemons is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, actor, slam poet, radio host, music historian, and songwriter originally from Phoenix and now based in Chicago
He plays a wide range of musical genres including old-time, blues, country, string band, rock, and jazz. As a member of the influential string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, Flemons toured throughout the world and performed at high profile venues. Flemons released four albums as part of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, the Grammy Award-winning group he created with Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson in 2005.
Even though he studied music independently for the past years, Flemons learned from elders in the North Carolina community. Flemons has met and played with traditional music artists such as Joe Thompson, John Dee Holeman, Mike Seeger, Greg Wilson, John Hammond, Lightnin’ Wells, Algia Mae Hinton, Odetta Jools Holland, Don Vappie, Cheick Hamala Diabate, Marty Stuart, Sharon Jones, Alvin “Youngblood” Hart, Boo Hanks. Additionally, he has played on stage with Old Crow Medicine Show.
In November 2013 Dom Flemons left the Carolina Chocolate Drops to pursue a solo career.
Throughout his esteemed career, he has received a Grammy Award, been nominated for two Emmy Awards; received an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University; won the 2020 U.S. Artists Fellowship Award for the Traditional Arts; served on the Board of Directors for the Steve Martin Banjo Prize, Folk Alliance International and the Music Maker Relief Foundation; and was elected as a Governor on the Board of Directors for the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Recording Academy.
A prolific member of the music community, Flemons has released several solo records to date, including 2018’s Grammy-nominated Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys.
Reflecting on the 2023 album Traveling Wildfire, Flemons shared, “Traveling Wildfire is not only a statement of my personal travel experiences but also a metaphor for rebirth in the wake of destruction. It reminded me that the album is in its own way a statement about emerging from the depths of uncertainty to find a new relevance during this unprecedented moment in modern history. At the same time, the image of the traveling wildfire reminded me of how music and stories can travel from generation to generation, bringing important lessons from the past into the present and the future.”
Discography:
Dona Got a Ramblin’ Mind, with Carolina Chocolate Drops (Music, 2006)
The Great Debaters soundtrack, with Alvin Youngblood, Hart Sharon Jones, and Teenie Hodges (Atlantic, 2007)
Dance Tunes Ballads & Blues (Music Maker, 2007)
Heritage, with Carolina Chocolate Drops (Dixiefrog, 2008)
Carolina Chocolate Drops & Joe Thompson live at MerleFest 2008, with Carolina Chocolate Drops (Music Maker, 2009)
Genuine Negro Jig, with Carolina Chocolate Drops (Nonesuch, 2010)
Carolina Chocolate Drops and Luminescent Orchestrii (Nonesuch, 2011)
Buffalo Junction with Boo Hanks (Music Maker 148, 2012)
Leaving Eden, with Carolina Chocolate Drops (Nonesuch, 2012)
Prospect Hill, (Music Maker, 2014)
Buffalo Junction, with Boo Hanks (Music Maker, 2015)
Selection of Ever Popular Favourites, with Martin Simpson (Fledgling Records, 2016)
Black Cowboys (Smithsonian Folkways, 2018)
Traveling Wildfire (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2023)
Website: www.domflemons.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.