Rhiannon Giddens has unveiled a recording of "Freedom Highway," the song written by Pops Staples and recorded by the Staple Singers in 1965, from her forthcoming album, due in early 2017. She is joined on the song by Bhi Bhiman. You can hear it here. "I am a daughter of the South; of the white working class, of the black working class; of the Democrat, and the Republican; of the gay, and the straight; and I can tell you one thing—we are far more alike than we are different," says Giddens. "We cannot let hate divide us; we cannot let ignorance diminish us; we cannot let those whose greed fills their every waking hour take our country from us. They can't take U.S. from US—unless we let them ... Let's walk down Freedom Highway together."

Rhiannon Giddens took part in the TED conference in February of this year. She joined the Silk Road Ensemble to perform "St. James Infirmary," a traditional tune made famous by Louis Armstrong and which Allen Toussaint recorded for his Nonesuch debut album, The Bright Mississippi. You can watch Giddens and the Silk Road Ensemble's take on the tune below. 

Rhiannon Giddens, who could be seen on PBS on Friday performing in Bill Murray's Mark Train Prize ceremony, will perform at Alice Tully Hall in NYC on May 13, 2017, for Lincoln Center's American Songbook series. The series returns with 16 concerts in The Appel Room in February and March, then moves to Alice Tully Hall, where Giddens gives the season-closing concert. She performed in The Appel Room for the series with Carolina Chocolate Drops in 2011 and with the Swimming in Dark Waters concert in 2016.

Rhiannon Giddens joined a stellar line-up to perform at the ceremony awarding Bill Murray the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at The Kennedy Center last weekend. The ceremony—which also features Aziz Ansari, Roy Blount Jr., Jane Curtin, Bill Hader, Jimmy Kimmel, David Letterman, Brian Doyle Murray, Paul Shaffer, Emma Stone, and Sigourney Weaver—will be broadcast on PBS stations across the US this Friday night at 9/8c. You can watch Giddens sing of a certain celebrated jumping frog from the evening here.

Rhiannon Giddens was a guest on NPR's Mountain Stage, returning to the show to perform from the Augusta Heritage Festival in Elkins, WV, earlier this year. "T Bone Burnett mentions her with some very serious company—Nina Simone, Odetta, and others—and I think that she deserves that mention," says Mountain Stage host Larry Groce. "She's at home with many different kinds of music: traditional, non-traditional, blues, jazz, whatever she wants to sing." You can hear why here.

Rhiannon Giddens will make her Austin City Limits debut this weekend. The set, premiering on PBS stations across this US this Saturday, October 8, includes songs from her solo debut album, Tomorrow Is My Turn. She also performs "Spanish Mary," from The New Basement Tapes, which you can watch here. "The breadth of musical vision on Tomorrow is My Turn incorporates gospel, jazz, blues and country, plus a hint of proto-rock and roll," says Austin City Limits, "and Giddens displays an emotional range to match her dazzling vocal prowess throughout."

Congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens, the recipient of the seventh-annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. "Rhiannon has made a rare contribution to American music," said Steve Martin. "She—along with the Carolina Chocolate Drops—has resurrected and revitalized an important part of banjo history." Created to bring recognition to an individual or group for outstanding accomplishment in the field of five-string banjo or bluegrass music, the prize highlights the extraordinary musicianship of these artists and bluegrass music worldwide. The award is given to a person or group who has given the board a fresh appreciation of this music, either through artistry, composition, innovation or preservation, and is deserving of a wider audience. Its first winner was Noam Pikelny of Punch Brothers.

Congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens, who has won the award for Folk Singer of the Year at the 2016 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, the first American artist to do so. The awards show took place at Royal Albert Hall in London and can be seen again in the UK via the BBC iPlayer. "Your sheer artistry defies all known genres," said Sandie Shaw in presenting her with the award. "You are a one-off, genuine original. Listening to your work takes me to deep intriguing places I never before imagined ... Congratulations, you truly deserve this award. I am a huge, huge fan. Tonight is your turn, Rhiannon Giddens."

Rhiannon Giddens' taping of her Austin City Limits debut will stream live on Monday, April 25, 2016, at 8 PM CT / 9 PM ET. Fans around the world can tune in to the show's YouTube Channel to watch the entire performance as it happens live from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. The taping follows a set at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Sunday. The broadcast version of the ACL show will air on PBS as part of the series' upcoming Season 42, which launches this fall.

Rhiannon Giddens, having just completed a successful tour of Australia, kicked off the next leg of her US tour with a free show at the Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire last night. The tour, which features songs from her solo debut album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, continues through the month of April with concerts in Maryland, Georgia, and Virginia; multiple shows in her home state of North Carolina; and a set at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. The tour culminates in a taping of Austin City Limits on April 25. Giddens's recent concert at Infinity Hall in Connecticut will air on the series Infinity Hall Live starting this Friday, April 8.

Rhiannon Giddens brings a successful tour of Australia to a close at Byron Bay Bluesfest on Friday. While on tour, Giddens visited Warner Music Australia to perform "Up Above My Head," off her album Tomorrow Is My Turn. You can watch it here. She also stopped by ABC Radio National's The Music Show to discuss the album and perform "Water Boy." The Sydney Morning Herald gives four stars each to her Sydney and Melbourne concerts, describing the show as "brilliant American music without borders." Giddens kicks off the next leg of her US tour in early April.

Rhiannon Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops will be inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame this October. "I'm so honored to be part of the 2016 class of inductees into the NC Music Hall of Fame," says Giddens. "Being from North Carolina has been such a big part of what I do and will remain so for the rest of my life; being a mentee of Joe Thompson and starting the Carolina Chocolate Drops along with Dom Flemons and Justin Robinson are among the things of my life that I am most proud of. Happy to be in such good company as the Avett Brothers, David Holt, my fellow Chocolate Drops, and other fine musicians. Carolina forever!"