It was just a month ago, and Dom Flemons, also known as The American Songster, joined us in Phoenix for a performance at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). As someone who always enjoys Carolina Chocolate Drops, the legendary string band he founded with Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson in 2006, I’d been curious how Dom had evolved as a solo musician since the group went their separate ways in 2013.

Carolina Chocolate Drops revived the almost-forgotten Black string band tradition and introduced this music to millions of fans across the world. Their album, Genuine Negro Jig, won a Grammy for the Best Folk Album of 2010. Although they are no longer together, they continue to inspire, and I was looking forward to the opportunity to experience the performance of the American Songster for some time.

The Folk Music Sourcebook describes a “Songster” as not just a “unique contributor to musical culture,” but a “transmitter of musical culture – a performing collector.” That sounds a lot like Dom, who is someone that exists with at least a century of music in his senses; someone with an almighty grasp on America’s musical evolution across time. All the while, Black string bands have been poorly documented across far too many years, and Dom is a pioneer devoted to preserving and then sharing so many of these important histories within his music.

On the night of the show, upon entering the dark theater at the MIM, at first glance we were immediately welcomed by a giant & colorfully striking image projected on screen. While aiming for our seats, we saw a charming mustached man in a white cowboy hat grinning above big red words: The BRONZE BUCKAROO. A bit caught off guard, I assumed this must be an old movie poster…from the ‘30s? Seeing this stranger in a brilliantly blue long sleeved western shirt, holding one pistol in each hand at his waist, with a sly glance to his side, emanated a pinch of mystery. We had hardly been sitting down for a minute before this character on screen sparked greater curiosities. Unsure why he was in the spotlight, I attempted to contemplate what an old Western movie star might be doing on display. It was Dom who we expected to find on stage tonight, but here we’re meeting a “Buckaroo”… while beneath the central smile on screen we find a name in all white caps, matching the cowboy hat: HERBERT JEFFREY.

But was it really all that peculiar? Because we then recall who we came here to see perform. This movie poster we first found illuminating in the theater was a flashback in time, which is something we know Dom tends to ignite. One way he describes his mission as a Songster is a devotion to preserving American music and histories passed on between generations, before it dissolves into nowhere. I imagine he absorbs as many Black string bands as he can rescue into his soul, where they all merge with his own instincts, and then projects outward through his impassioned musical self. In this way, as he put it, “The old meets the new.” Because really, we know this uniquely timeless musician, soon to grace the stage wearing his signature suspenders and pork pie hat, doesn’t keep his audiences purely in the present tense. Dom & The Carolina Chocolate Drops were “not only paying homage to their ancestors who sang and played their way through some incredibly harsh conditions… (but were) also attempting to resurrect an entire genre of music not just lost among African Americans, but All Americans.”*

Dom engages imaginations and reflections of all that got us to today. We know the experience of Dom Flemons as a musician offers far more than a soundtrack, and this perplexing one – dimensional poster clearly has far more behind the image, yet to be revealed. This became clear upon closer examination, finding tiny red words in all caps, nearly unseen near the bottom: “ALL COLORED CAST.” Immediately, another question strikes: Have I ever even seen a Black cowboy movie?

As I pondered this, Dom entered the stage in his suspenders and hat, and before any strumming or singing, he introduced us to Herb Jeffries. It turns out this “Sensational Singing Cowboy” had starred in several low budget Black Western Feature Films in the 1930s, including the first Western to feature an all-black cast: “Harlem on the Prairie” in 1937. In a time of American racial segregation, these kind of “race movies” played mostly in theaters catering to African American audiences. Next in the Herb Jeffries series came “Two Gun Man From Harlem” in 1938, also “Harlem Rides the Range” in 1939.

These were not originally silent films, but Dom had himself a seat beneath the muted movie screen with his guitar, a harmonica, and a banjo at his side or in his arms, as well as percussive bones & whistles within reach. He was all set to bring the story of the Bronze Buckaroo more to life without words.

From there, a film rolled silently above him as he provided the audience a lively soundtrack. Edited down to make the movie a bit shorter, we watched a cast of black men in cowboy hats enjoying desert adventures, with a sweet cowgirl in the mix, and it all became quite a striking scenario on stage with this unique arrangement. It caused us to think, not just listen. Dom had turned his starring role on stage into a multi-tasking opportunity – he now sat before us passing on and preserving histories of Black artists through both music & film simultaneously, providing a fuller portrait of America than guitar chords alone.

After the Bronze Buckaroo rode off into the sunset, and the audience took an intermission, we returned to our seats facing Dom in full singing force as The American Songster. His striking logo now projected on the movie screen radiantly above him, to continue his show starring himself & various instruments as the leading roles.

Just this January, The Carolina Chocolate Drops’ Grammy Award winning album, Genuine Negro Jig, has been reissued as their 15th Anniversary Edition. The Best Folk Album of 2010 is now available with multiple previously unreleased and bonus tracks on Nonesuch Records.

Like the Buckaroo projected on the screen earlier, you could have called his entire show some kind of flashback in time as well – but we were really seeing a Songster who is still making and sharing incredible music born from rich and storied American roots. Whether in the 1800s, the 1930s, or 2026, in his own words, Dom is a musician who “creates a modern interpretation of a style that is over 100 years old.”

The Bronze Buckaroo is available to watch on YouTube. As the Classic Movies Archive suggests: Saddle up for a groundbreaking adventure with The Bronze Buckaroo (1939), a classic Western that celebrates the rich legacy of African American cinema. Starring the charismatic Herb Jeffries, known as “The Singing Cowboy,” this film is part of a pioneering series of all-Black Westerns produced by Richard C. Kahn and tailored for diverse audiences during the golden age of Hollywood. Packed with thrilling action, heartfelt music, and a captivating story, The Bronze Buckaroo is a cinematic gem that continues to inspire and entertain audiences worldwide.

www.TheAmericanSongster.com
www.nonesuch.com/artists/carolina-chocolate-drops
www.RhiannonGiddens.com
* www.nodepression.org
https://www.blackbanjoreclamationproject.org/

kate.d.molly@gmail.com