Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson Share 1939 String Band Tune “Going to Raleigh” From What Did The Blackbird Say to the Crow (out April 18 on Nonesuch)

March 25, 2025 - - Today, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson have shared “Going to Raleigh” from their upcoming album of North Carolina fiddle and banjo music What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow (April 18 / Nonesuch Records). Originally released in 1939 by western North Carolina string band The Carolina Playboys, this version (learned by Robinson from Evelyn Shaw) was recorded at the historic former plantation Mill Prong House & Preservation in Red Springs, NC. 

Giddens says, “Mill Prong is located on a complicated patch of land - once owned by an indigenous farmer subsequently kicked off the land, bought by Gaels (an oppressed population overseas) who then bought African Americans to work it - a microcosm of American history. ‘Going to Raleigh’ was recorded by a nearby stream that has seen it all.”

Watch the video for “Going to Raleigh,” filmed at Mill Prong House, HERE

Produced by Giddens and Joseph "joebass" DeJarnette, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow finds Giddens and Robinson reuniting to play eighteen of their favorite North Carolina tunes: a mix of instrumentals and tunes with words. Many were learned from their late mentor, the legendary North Carolina Piedmont musician Joe Thompson, one of the last musicians of his era and his community to carry on the southern Black string band tradition; one song is from another musical hero, the late Etta Baker, from whom they also learned by listening to recordings of her playing. Giddens and Robinson recorded outdoors at Thompson’s and Baker’s North Carolina homes. They were accompanied by the sounds of nature, including a roaring chorus of cicadas, creating a unique soundscape. Watch the previously released videos for “Hook and Line” and “Marching Jaybird.”

In further tribute to Giddens’ North Carolina roots, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow will arrive just a week before Biscuits & Banjos, the inaugural edition of her first festival. Taking place April 25–27 in downtown Durham and curated by Giddens, Biscuits & Banjos highlights the deep roots and enduring legacy of Black music, art, and culture while fostering community and storytelling. The sold-out festival will feature a much-anticipated Carolina Chocolate Drops reunion, their first performance together in more than a decade. 

The full festival schedule will be unveiled on April 4 and include a robust offering of free, community programming and a Biscuit Trail activating local restaurants with biscuit-inspired cuisine, alongside musical performances and panel conversations with chefs, authors, artists and scholars alike.

The panels include:

• Black Voices in Country Music: A Conversation with Rhiannon Giddens, Rissi Palmer, and Alice Randall
• Let the Church Say Amen!: Ritual, Storytelling, and the Oral Traditionwith Dasan Ahanu and Dr. Lalenja Harrington
• Intentional Community: Celebrating Black Voices in Festivals and Live Events with Holly G, Brandi Waller-Pace, Rissi Palmer, and Dr. Dena Ross Jennings
• The Art of the Biscuit A Conversation with Michael Twitty, Toni Tipton-Martin, and Ricky Moore, presented by Biscuitville

The full line up can be viewed now on biscuitsandbanjos.com/lineup

Biscuits & Banjos is a non-profit, community responsive festival. Funding for Biscuits & Banjos is made possible in part by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the National Endowment for the Arts, North Carolina Humanities, the Danielle Rose Paikin Foundation, the Harper House Music Foundation, the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Warner Music Group & Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund (a sponsored project of Moore Impact), Duke Arts, Duke Community Affairs, 21c Museum Hotel, Biscuitville, the City of Durham, Durham County, Discover Durham, North Carolina Arts Council, Durham Arts Council, American Tobacco Campus, Blue Ridge Music Center, Sugarlands Distilling Company, Bull City Burger and Brewery, Proximity Brewing Company, Old Hillside Bourbon, Deering Banjos, Elderly Instruments, The Durham Hotel, The Hello in There Foundation, American Tobacco Campus, and other generous individual donors, sponsors, civic, and community partners. 

Earlier this month, Giddens announced a number of new dates on her Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue tour–featuring Robinson and four other string musicians, including multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell. On June 18 they will headline the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, joined by special guests Our Native Daughters– in their first performance since 2022–as well as Steve Martin, Ed Helms, and more. Additional shows in July have been added to the itinerary as well; see below for the full list. 

Pre-order the album here: https://giddensrobinson.lnk.to/BlackbirdCrow

What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow Track List:

1. Rain Crow
2. Brown’s Dream
3. Hook and Line
4. Pumpkin Pie
5. Duck’s Eyeball
6. Ryestraw
7. Little Brown Jug
8. Going to Raleigh
9. Country Waltz
10. Molly Put the Kettle On
11. Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
12. John Henry
13. Love Somebody
14. Ebenezer
15. Old Joe Clark
16. Old Molly Hare
17. Marching Jaybird
18. Walkin’ in the Parlor

Tour Dates: 

April 25-27 - Durham, NC - Biscuits & Banjos

April 30 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel

May 2 - Miami, FL - Miami Beach Bandshell

May 3 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern

May 4 - Birmingham, AL - Jemison Concert Hall @ Alys Robinson Stephens Center

May 7 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium

May 8 - Cincinnati, OH - Memorial Hall

May 9 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall

May 11 - Washington, DC - The Anthem

May 13 - Grand Rapids, MI - St. Cecilia Music Center

May 15 - Toronto, ON - Koerner Hall at The Royal Conservatory of Music

May 16 - Toronto, ON - Koerner Hall at The Royal Conservatory of Music

May 17 - Ottawa, ON - National Arts Centre, Southam Hall

June 15 - Napa, CA - Uptown Theatre

June 16 - Ventura, CA - Ventura Theater

June 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl (with Our Native Daughters, Steve Martin, Ed Helms, Leyla McCalla, Amythyst Kiah and Allison Brown)

June 19 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park

June 21 - Berkeley, CA - Zellerbach

June 23 - Seattle, WA - The Moore Theater

June 26 - Montréal, QC - Théâtre Maisonneuve @ Montreal Jazz Festival

July 11 - Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson Theatre

July 12 - Flagstaff, AZ - Pepsi Amphitheater

July 14 - Santa Fe, NM - Lensic Performing Arts Center

July 18 - Sonoma, CA - Green Music Center

July 19 - Navarro, CA - Redwood Ramble

July 21 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery

July 25 - Boise, ID - Egyptian Theater

July 28 - Boulder, CO - Chautauqua Park

July 29 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre

July 31 - Vail, CO - Vilar Performing Arts Center