Singer and banjo player Rhiannon Giddens' 2017 album 'Freedom Highway' includes songs based on slave narratives. She notes that the modern banjo draws from the African instrument known as the akonting ...

Pop superstar Beyoncé released "Texas Hold 'Em" a few weeks ago and it features an instrument that she had never emphasized before. This hit song, on her new (and hugely popular) Cowboy Carter album, ...

The banjo is typically reserved for folksy country songs, but the instrument can be pretty versatile (even if it still totally sounds like it should be on a folk song). These 11 bands channeled their ...

Cindy Howes talks with old-time player Jake Blount in this episode of the Basic Folk podcast. They discuss his work of elevating and revealing Black people’s massive contributions in traditional folk ...

When you first hear the music of Harpeth Rising, you’ll detect classical underpinnings, strong Appalachian and Eastern European influences, with some 21 st century elements. The trio calls it ...

The Prospect Heights Public Library will present Chicago’s “official troubadour” Mark Dvorak in a special performance, “Once I Had an Old Banjo,” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6. The library is located at ...