Watch Dom Flemons Perform “Too Long I’ve Been Gone” | Acoustic Guitar Sessions in Place

Folk, old-time, blues, and country traditions become jumping off points for Dom Flemons. His moniker, “The American Songster,” works as a nice shorthand to encapsulate his modern yet deeply-rooted sensibility.

For this Acoustic Guitar Sessions in Place, filmed in Ft. Sheridan, Illinois, Flemons performs “Too Long I’ve Been Gone.” This song (and many others) appear on his recent reissue album Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus. This collection includes a bunch of previously unreleased tracks and a now sold-out wax Edison cylinder (the same kind Alan Lomax used).

Flemons plays a custom guitar made by Todd Cambio of Fraulini Guitars, it’s got a “medium sized parlor body with a dreadnought parlor neck.”

Watch until the end to hear a bit about the inspiration for the song. And be sure to dig the birds chirping along in the background.

Thanks to Nate Kinard for shooting the video.

Head to Dom Flemons’ online store for copies of his albums, merch, and his Early American Fingerstyle Guitar instructional DVD.

Flemons was recently featured in the American Folklife Center’s “Homegrown at Home” series, performing songs from his Black Cowboys project.