About the Film

Don’t Get Trouble in Your Mind chronicles The Carolina Chocolate Drops, a North Carolina string band, and their mentor, traditional fiddler Joe Thompson (1919-2012). The documentary reveals how three musicians from the hip-hop generation embraced a 19th-century folk tradition and elevated it to Grammy-winning acclaim.

This intimate portrait weaves historical context with personal stories following their meteoric rise and eventual breakup. It captures a group’s emotional journey and spectacular musical achievement that revitalized a nearly forgotten American art form while creating something uniquely theirs.