Nonesuch Records releases a fifteenth anniversary edition of Carolina Chocolate Drops' 2010 Grammy Award-winning album Genuine Negro Jig on January 23, 2026. The reissue, featuring founding band members Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, and Justin Robinson, includes the original Joe Henry–produced album and nine bonus tracks: seven previously unreleased tracks plus a 2025 remaster of “City of Refuge” and a 2025 mix of “Memphis Shakedown.” This release marks the album’s first time on vinyl since its original pressing in 2010. You can hear the bonus track "Here Rattler" now.

Congratulations to all of the Nonesuch nominees for the 68th Grammy Awards: Molly Tuttle for Best Americana Album for So Long Little Miss Sunshine and Best Americana Performance for the album track "That's Gonna Leave a Mark," Alarm Will Sound for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for Donnacha Dennehy's Land of Winter, Donnacha Dennehy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Land of Winter, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson for Best Folk Album for What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, Ambrose Akinmusire for Best Alternative Jazz Album for honey from a winter stone, Brad Mehldau for Alternative Jazz Album for Ride into the Sun, and Bob Mehr for Best Album Notes for Wilco's A Ghost Is Born (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition).

Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson have released a new mini-documentary as well as performance videos to accompany each song for their new album, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow. The film and video collection, made by Alexei Mejouev, offer an intimate look into the creation of the album, further illuminating their tribute to the Black string band tradition of North Carolina.

"Her new album is a true love letter to her North Carolina roots," Jenn White, host of NPR's 1A, says of her guest Rhiannon Giddens and her new album, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, with Justin Robinson, who also joins the conversation and performs with Giddens on the show. Giddens was also on BBC Radio 4's Front Row to discuss the album. You can hear both here.

Rhiannon Giddens reunites with her former Carolina Chocolate Drops bandmate Justin Robinson on What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, out now. Produced by Giddens and Joseph "joebass" DeJarnette, the album features Giddens on banjo and Robinson on fiddle, playing 18 of their favorite North Carolina tunes. Many were learned from their late mentor, legendary North Carolina Piedmont musician Joe Thompson; one is from another musical hero, the late Etta Baker. Giddens and Robinson recorded outdoors at Thompson’s and Baker’s North Carolina homes, as well as the former plantation Mill Prong House, accompanied by the sounds of nature. You can watch eight performance videos from the album here. Giddens leads her first-ever festival, Biscuits & Banjos, in Durham, NC, next weekend, then goes on tour with Robinson.

Cal Performances at the University of California, Berkeley, has announced its 2025–26 concert season, including Zellerbach Hall performances by Kronos Quartet, Jeremy Denk, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Chris Thile, and Rhiannon Giddens and Silkroad Ensemble.

Rhiannon Giddens has joined with music writer Kristina R. Gaddy to create the songbook Go Back and Fetch It: Recovering Early Black Music in the Americas for Fiddle and Banjo, due in September 2025 from UNC Press. Presenting music from 1687 through the 1850s in modern treble clef and banjo tablature, along with the stories behind each song, Gaddy and Giddens take readers on a journey from the Caribbean across the Americas.

Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson have shared “Going to Raleigh” from their upcoming album What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow. 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, where they filmed a video as well. You can watch it here.

Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson have unveiled “Marching Jaybird,” an instrumental track from their forthcoming album of North Carolina fiddle and banjo music, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, due April 18. Revisiting this tune recorded by Etta Baker, one of their musical heroes and a key inspiration for making this new album, and recording it at Baker’s Morganton, NC, home "was a magical moment for Justin and me," Giddens says. "Walking into her house, which is frozen in time, looking just like it did when she was alive, very much reminded us of women in our families; sitting in her living room and recording this piece learned from her playing was pretty profound." You can watch the video here. Giddens has also announced a number of new tour dates, including the Hollywood Bowl, and shared more details about her Biscuits & Banjos festival, which takes place in Durham, NC, April 25–27.

Rhiannon Giddens reunites with her former Carolina Chocolate Drops bandmate Justin Robinson on What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, due April 18. Produced by Giddens and Joseph "joebass" DeJarnette, the album features Giddens on banjo and Robinson on fiddle, playing eighteen of their favorite North Carolina tunes. Many were learned from their late mentor, legendary North Carolina Piedmont musician Joe Thompson; one is from another musical hero, the late Etta Baker. Giddens and Robinson recorded outdoors at Thompson’s and Baker’s North Carolina homes, as well as the former plantation Mill Prong House, accompanied by the sounds of nature, including two different broods of cicadas, which had not emerged simultaneously since 1803, creating a true once-in-a-lifetime soundscape. A video of “Hook and Line,” a traditional tune from Joe Thompson’s repertoire and filmed at his home in Mebane, NC, may be seen here. The duo, along with four other string musicians, embarks on Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue Tour April 25.

Rhiannon Giddens was on NPR's Code Switch podcast to talk with co-host B.A. Parker, who is learning to play the banjo and is looking to find community and reclaim an instrument rooted in Black culture. You can hear their conversation here.

American Railroad, the new album from the Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens, is out now. It is the culmination of four years of research, collaboration, and music-making, having brought Silkroad artists all across the US to uncover and uplift stories of those who built the transcontinental railroad and connecting railways across North America. "The result is a tapestry of stories, traditions, and music that have shaped our multifaceted cultural identity, and that must be heard and recognized," Giddens says. Also out now are a performance video of the track "Mahk Jchi" and the first episode of the American Railroad podcast series. The US fall tour continues to November 23.