Amythyst Kiah
Banjo player, singer-songwriter, and scholar of Appalachian and Black roots music; performs original and traditional songs and speaks about genre, identity, and marginalization in roots music.
Best podcasts with Amythyst Kiah
Ranked by the Snipd community
Dec 18, 2025 • 1h 5min
73. The Sounds of Us
Join musician and historian Jake Blount, banjo player Amythyst Kiah, luthier Amanda Ewing, and racial justice educator Tim Wise as they explore the hidden contributions of Black artists to country and folk music. They delve into the African roots of the banjo and share personal stories of erasure in the music industry. The guests advocate for creating inclusive spaces for Black instrument makers and discuss how systemic exclusion often undermines rich musical traditions. Afrofuturism, collective action, and reclaiming narratives ignite a vibrant dialogue on heritage and visibility.
Oct 19, 2021 • 47min
Amythyst Kiah Sings Her Truth
On her intimate new album Wary + Strange, Amythyst Kiah sings her heart out about losing her mom to suicide, and what it’s like being the only black person in the room at country gigs. She created the album with Phoebe Bridger’s producer, Tony Berg, and the result is a project expertly fuses Kiah’s love for ‘90s alt-rock with her old-time, country sensibility.Amythyst Kiah performs two of her new songs on today’s episode and talks to Bruce Headlam about what it was like for a black teengager to come out as gay in a white Christian southern town. She also explains how learning of the West African roots of Bluegrass helped reaffirm her place in Americana music.Just a warning, this episode contains talk of suicide. Subscribe to Broken Record’s YouTube channel to hear all of our interviews: https://www.youtube.com/brokenrecordpodcast and follow us on Twitter @BrokenRecordYou can also check out past episodes here: https://brokenrecordpodcast.comCheck out our favorite Amythyst Kiah songs HERE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
