Grammy Award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dom Flemons will perform on Saturday, Sept. 14, in a concert presented by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries and the Wild Bunch Lecture Fund. Flemons is a gifted performer and distinguished cultural historian whose music and research have brought greater awareness to African Americans’ extensive contributions to roots music.
The concert will be at 5 p.m. in the Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall. A public reception will precede the performance beginning at 4:15 p.m. in the Blair School lobby. Parking for the event will be available in the West Garage.
The event is open to the public, but tickets are required to attend. Tickets may be reserved through the Blair box office on a “pay as you wish” scale. Those who contribute $20 or more will receive a limited-edition Hatch Show Print poster commemorating the concert. Posters will be available for pickup only at the event.
Known as “The American Songster,” Flemons is considered an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife, and rhythm bones. He has released multiple solo albums, including the Grammy-nominated Traveling Wildfire in 2023. He was a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops string band, with whom he won a Grammy in 2010.
The Heard Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives acquired Flemons’ personal collection in late 2023. Compiled and curated by Flemons and his wife, Vania Kinard, the Dom Flemons American Songster Collection includes musical instruments, historical sheet music, research materials on Black cowboys, an Edison phonograph with several playable wax cylinders, field recordings, art pieces, memorabilia, personal gifts, autographed records, and materials documenting Flemons’ professional music career over the past 20 years.
As part of the Sept. 14 event, a pop-up exhibit featuring items from the Dom Flemons American Songster Collection will be on display at the Blair School of Music. Flemons also will demonstrate and discuss instruments from the collection during his performance.
The concert is this year’s Wild Bunch Lecture Fund event hosted by the Heard Libraries. The Wild Bunch Lecture Fund is the second endowed fund established by members of Vanderbilt’s Class of 1977 in honor of the university’s fifth chancellor, Alexander Heard, and his wife, Jean.
Parking for the event will be available in the West Garage.