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Cathy Wurzer

Dom Flemons brings his new album, 'Black Cowboys,' to the Cedar tonight

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Dom Flemons plays tonight at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.

His new album is a collection of songs by and about African-American cowboys. One, called "Goodbye Old Paint," has been traced back to a former slave named Charley Willis who worked as a cowboy on the Texas panhandle.

In 2010, Willis' great-grandson, Franklin Willis, talked to NPR about his great-grandfather's music.

"His voice was real soothing to the cattle, and this is why they wanted him to participate in these big cattle drives," he said, "because he would sing to the cattle and just make them relax."