Formed in November 2005, following the members' attendance at the first Black Banjo Gathering, held in
Boone, North Carolina, in April 2005, the group grew out of the success of Sankofa Strings, an ensemble that featured
Dom Flemons on
bones,
jug, guitar, and four-string banjo,
Rhiannon Giddens on banjo and fiddle and Súle Greg Wilson on
bodhrán, brushes,
washboard, bones, tambourine, banjo, banjolin, and ukulele, with Justin Robinson as an occasional guest artist. All shared vocals. The purpose of Sankofa Strings was to present a gamut of African American musics: country and classic blues, early jazz and "hot music", string band numbers, African and Caribbean songs, and spoken word pieces. The Carolina Chocolate Drops' original three members: Giddens, Flemons, and Robinson, were all in their twenties when the group formed after Flemons' move from Phoenix (where he and Wilson lived), to North Carolina, home of Giddens and Robinson. Wilson, nearly a generation older than the other members, was occasionally featured with the group into 2010, including contributions to the recordings, ''Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind
, CCD and Joe Thompson
, Heritage'' (with songs culled from Sankofa Strings' independently-released CD,
Colored Aristocracy) and nearly half of
Genuine Negro Jig. All of the musicians sing and trade instruments including
banjo,
fiddle,
guitar,
harmonica,
snare drum,
bones,
jug, and
kazoo. The group learned much of their repertoire, which is based on the traditional music of the
Piedmont region of North and
South Carolina, from the eminent African American old-time fiddler
Joe Thompson, although they also perform old-time versions of some modern songs such as
Blu Cantrell's
R&B hit "
Hit 'em Up Style (Oops!)." The Carolina Chocolate Drops have released five CDs and one EP and have opened for
Taj Mahal and, in 2011,
Bob Dylan. They have performed on
Mountain Stage,
MerleFest, and at the
Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention. Additionally they have performed on
A Prairie Home Companion,
Fresh Air, and
BBC Radio in early 2010, and at the 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival in
Manchester, Tennessee, and at the 2011 Romp, in
Owensboro, Kentucky. On January 17, 2012, they appeared live on BBC Radio 3. They have performed on the
Grand Ole Opry several times. They have also performed on the
UK's
BBC Television program,
Later... with Jools Holland. In February 2011, the band announced that beatboxer
Adam Matta and multi-instrumentalist
Hubby Jenkins would be joining the band, while Justin Robinson was departing. In early 2012, they announced that the New Orleans–based cellist
Leyla McCalla was joining the band on its next tour. CCD contributed a track, "Political World," to the Bob Dylan tribute compilation,
Chimes of Freedom (album) released in January 2012. Their next album,
Leaving Eden, followed soon afterward in February 2012. In an interview, Jenkins said, "
Leaving Eden was an interesting album because [fiddler] Justin [Robinson] had just left the group, and they had already decided to record with
Buddy Miller, and had even picked the recording dates. It was an interesting time to be coming in, because they were ready to do different things with the new members. So it was a trial-by-fire period." That same year, the group toured with Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band. Later in 2012, the Drops were nominated for numerous awards by the Chicago Black Theater Alliance for their work in
Keep a Song in Your Soul: The Roots of Black Vaudeville. Staged by the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, written by Lalenja Harrington (Rhiannon Giddens's older sister) and Súle Greg Wilson, and featuring veteran hoofer
Reggio MacLaughlin, and ragtime pianist and MacArthur Fellow
Reginald R. Robinson, the program examined the hopes and realities, music, and dances of the Great Migration. Also in 2012, the Carolina Chocolate Drops contributed a song, "Daughter's Lament", to
The Hunger Games soundtrack. In 2013, the band was nominated for a
Blues Music Award for 'Acoustic Artist'. Also in 2013, the Carolina Chocolate Drops contributed a song, "Day of Liberty", to the two-CD album '
Divided & United. In November 2013, the Carolina Chocolate Drops announced that Dom Flemons would be leaving to embark on his own solo career, and introduced two new members: cellist Malcolm Parson and multi-instrumentalist Rowan Corbett. In 2014 the Carolina Chocolate Drops worked with choreographer
Twyla Tharp and dancers
Robert Fairchild and
Tiler Peck to create
Cornbread Duet. 2014 was also the year that group stopped regularly performing together, and members have pursued solo work and other projects since. Hubby Jenkins left the band in 2016. Rhiannon Giddens has released a number of solo recordings and in 2020 was named the artistic director of the
Silk Road Project. The original members of the Carolina Chocolate Drops reunited for the inaugural Biscuits & Banjos Festival in
Durham, North Carolina on April 26, 2025. ==Members==