‘When it’s a simple story, it’s usually wrong’: Rhiannon Giddens on the history of the banjo

Grammy Award-winning banjo player Rhiannon Giddens joins Margaret Hoover to discuss her pursuit of the true history of her instrument and why she has set out to change perceptions of the banjo as an icon of white mountain culture.

Giddens traces her path from a childhood in a mixed-race family in North Carolina to studying opera at Oberlin to learning the Black string band tradition at the feet of one of its last great practitioners. She has gone on to an acclaimed career, first as a member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and later as a solo artist.

She recounts how the banjo went from an invention of African Americans to a white cultural stereotype, reflects on the evolving sound of the instrument over time, and explains why her “American music” defies conventional genre classifications.

Giddens performs three songs, including a piece from her upcoming opera, “Omar.” She also reflects on cultural appropriation, political division, and the challenges of teaching the true African American experience in classrooms.

Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Stephens Inc., Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, The David Tepper Charitable Foundation Inc., The Fairweather Foundation, The Asness Family Foundation, Pfizer Inc., Craig Newmark Philanthropies, The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Damon Button and Simmons Family Foundation.