African-American revivalist string-band trio, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, performs Oct. 26 at Napa Valley Opera House.

The band is touring in support of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to fulfilling the financial needs of impoverished roots musicians.

Last September, the Carolina Chocolate Drops took the stage at the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship award ceremony with the band’s mentor and fellowship recipient Joe Thompson who was honored for his life’s work as an African-American string-band musician.

The Chocolate Drops have been playing under the tutelage of Thompson, said to be the last black traditional string-band player. Thompson, who turns 90 next year, plays in the North Carolina Piedmont tradition of black artists such as Odell and Nate Thompson, Dink Roberts and Emp White.

In their work with Joe Thompson, the Carolina Chocolate Drops have sought to keep this old-time African-American string music tradition alive.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops, made up of Rhiannon Giddens (fiddle, banjo), Justin Robinson (fiddle) and Dom Flemons (guitar, jug, harmonica, percussion, banjo), have been on tour throughout the summer with stops at many regional music festivals, a guest appearance on “A Prairie Home Companion” and a featured digital broadcast on Newsweek.com. Thompson has shared the stage with the band at many of these venues and was the guiding force behind their debut album, “Dona Got A Rambin’ Mind,” described by David Fricke in Rolling Stone as “dazzling in its velocity and virtuosity.”

For tickets contact the Opera House box office at 226-7372.