Southern Culture Movie Series: ‘Don’t Get Trouble in Your Mind: The Carolina Chocolate Drops’ Story’ (2017)

Don’t Get Trouble in Your Mind: The Carolina Chocolate Drops’ Story (2017, 83 min.) is a portrait of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a string band from Raleigh, North Carolina, and their mentor, fiddler Joe Thompson (1919–2012). Produced and directed by John Whitehead, the film captures how three African Americans from the hip-hop generation embraced a 19th-century genre and took it to new heights, winning a Grammy in 2010. The story of the band’s meteoric rise, from busking on the street to playing major festivals, is punctuated and informed by the history of the banjo’s origins in Africa, and the untold story of how blacks and whites collaborated to create the earliest forms of American popular music.

Discussion facilitated by Jed Finley, program associate at the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Refreshments will be served.

This film series, which takes place each summer, is designed to be an entertaining and critical introduction to the American South, and most films are accompanied by commentary from a topical expert. While intended especially for international students and scholars, the series is open to everyone.