Old Barns

When I heard the song “Mahalla” one morning, I knew that I would make a video using the song.  “Mahalla” has a down-home, country feel, so I selected some of my photos of old barns to accompany the song.

It’s played by the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an old-time string band that did traditional songs from the Piedmont of North and South Carolina, often songs from the African-American folk tradition.  They won a grammy in 2010 in the Best Traditional Folk Album for Genuine Negro Jig.  They have since broken up.

“Mahalla” is a South African song, the title of which means “one for nothing.”  Don Flemons played the banjo on “Mahalla.”  You can see him playing it here.  He does amazing things on that banjo.

Rhiannon Giddens was the lead singer for the Chocolate Drops who went on to an amazing career.  She won a grammy of her own for They’re Calling Me Home in the Best Folk Album category.  She was awarded, among numerous other awards, a MacArthur Genius Grant.  She is part of the group Our Native Daughters, an all-banjo group.  They released the album Songs of Our Native Daughters in 2019.  My favorite and a song that leaves me feeling good is “Music and Joy” that you can listen to here.