Dom Flemons American Songster Collection
Scope and Contents
The Dom Flemons American Songster Collection (110 linear feet) consists of audio recordings, materials related to the creation of the album Black Cowboys, reference materials, drafts and liner notes, correspondence, ephemera and tour materials, press and promotional materials, photographs, folk art and fan art, garments, artifacts, framed items, posters, books, born digital files and musical instruments. The collection is arranged in twenty two series. It covers the years of 1950 to 2022 (inclusive), with the majority of the documents being from 2008-2022 (bulk). The materials reflect the artistic career of Dom Flemons a singer-songwriter and researcher of American folk music. His digital materials include his historic research, raw recordings related to special tours and events, writings and blog posts, and electronic press kits. While the collection focuses most intensely on the years surrounding his Black Cowboys album, it includes materials related to the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The album Black Cowboys was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album, and for a Blues Music Award for best Acoustic Album. The collection contains documents related to these awards, to the creation of the album, and to the experience of touring the country as a performing artist and the many people whom he met along the way. (EK Batiuk)
Dates
- Creation: circa 1920 - 2022
Conditions Governing Access
The physical materials from this collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Vanderbilt’s Special Collections and University Archives. Materials should be requested two to three days in advance to facilitate easier access. Contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu to schedule an appointment.
Biographical / Historical
Dominique “Dom” Flemons (b. 1982) is a performer and researcher of American roots music. Flemons was born in Arizona and earned a degree in English at Northern Arizona University. His early performance career focused on the written word, participating in poetry slams in the early 2000s. He is now known as a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, with the moniker “the American Songster.” His work spans several genres and includes American folklore, ballads, old time string band music, neotraditional country, and blues.
As a founding member of the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops (2005-2013) and throughout his solo career, Flemons has contributed to transforming how American roots music is understood. Specifically, Flemons has increased public awareness of the role of African American musicians in traditional American music genres, especially “old-time” and string band music through his research and performance. Flemons’ work addresses a gap in American music history of the twentieth century. Perhaps most significant to date is his role as a performer and inheritor of the Piedmont blues and string band music. He plays banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, percussion, quills, and rhythm bones. Since the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Flemons has released four solo albums, and two albums in collaborations with other musicians.
With the Carolina Chocolate Drops
Leaving Eden (2012)
Genuine Negro Gig (2010)
Dona Got A Ramblin’ Mind (2006)
Heritage (2007)
Solo Albums
Dance Tunes, Ballads and Blues (2007)
American Songster (2009)
Prospect Hill (2014)
Black Cowboys (2018)
Traveling Wildfire (2023)
Other Collaborations
Buffalo Junction (2012)
Mr. Martin
Full Extent
110 Linear Feet : 22 Hollingers; 11 flat oversized boxes; 7 framed items (incl. 1 painting ~ 30” x 70”); 1 TB harddrive, 56 musical instruments of varying sizes, including 7 banjo type instruments, 1 akonting, 3 accordion type instruments ; Oversized (flat): 1-16" wide; 2-20" wide; 1-21" wide; 1-24" wide; 4-26" wide; 2-28-1/2" wide
Full Extent
327.3 Gigabytes
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased through the NMAAM-Vanderbilt Collections Initiative.
Processing Information
After processing the external hard drive, the iTunes library was removed from the collection. If you would like to see a full inventory listing please reach out to Special Collections to view a spreadsheet with over 2700 titles.
Cultural context
Genre / Form
Topical
- Two boxes of long-sleeved shirts and a single black wing-tip shoe were deaccessioned. Press and ephemera were de-duplicated and no more than two or three copies of items were kept.
- From the born digital hard drive, I removed duplicates, his iTunes library, and materials from online exhibits, other websites, published books
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Elizabeth Batiuk, Eleanor Vander Laan; Addition Processed by Julia Khait, February 2026
- Date
- 2023-2026
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives Repository
Special Collections Library
1101 19th Ave. S.
Nashville TN 37212 United States
specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu
About this Site
This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.
Requesting Materials
Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.