Tasty Brew Music Features Dom Flemons and “Black Cowboys”

June is African-American Music Appreciation Month.  The Tasty Brew Music Radio Show is honored this week to highlight the work of Dom Flemons’ and his 2018 release “Black Cowboys” on Smithsonian Folkway Recordings.  This work pays tribute to the music, culture and complex history of the Golden Era of the American Wild West and follows the footsteps of thousands of African American pioneers who helped build America. The cowboy is one of the premier icons of American cultural identity. Yet the lack of substantial images of black cowboys has limited the public’s perception of these incredible pioneers of the Old West. The acknowledgment of black cowboys through the songs and poems featured on this album helps to create a more diverse picture of the American West after the Civil War. The album was nominated in 2018 for a Grammy for Best Folk Album and for Best Acoustic Album by the Blues Music Awards. Dom was a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, is a multi-instrumentalist and has earned the moniker “The American Songster.”

This week’s playlist also includes Tasty Brew favorites Rhiannon Giddens (another founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops), Our Native Daughters and favorites from Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life.”

Share This Episode