Derroll 100

2025 marked one hundred years since the birth of the American folk and country singer Derroll Adams (1925–2000). From the 1950s onwards he brought American music to Europe, and to Antwerp and Brussels. With his deep voice and gentle banjo sound he touched people right in the heart: not through virtuosity, but through warmth, honesty and a touch of melancholy. He inspired generations of musicians, from Donovan and Allan Taylor to Wannes Van de Velde and Roland Van Campenhout.

For Derroll 100, Laura Cortese gathered eight songwriters who each wrote a song inspired by Derroll. They started from his songs, his banjo playing or his life story, from Portland via the Beat scene in California and Expo ’58 to the cafés of Brussels and De Muze in Antwerp. The songs were recorded in Belgium with a regular band and were first released as singles, then, on 27 November 2025, Derroll’s hundredth birthday, as a complete playlist.

The songs

1. The Rock — Meskerem Mees
2. For Rebecca — Björn Eriksson
3. A Way to Pass the Time — Rowan Rheingans
4. Something Borrowed Nothing New — Laura Cortese
5. One Fire at a Time — Rachel Baiman
6. My Lonely Days Are Gone — Johannes Wannyn
7. Portland Town — Cara Luft
8. Numbers — Kaia Kater

Derroll 100 is a project by Merodefestival and Awa vzw, with the support of the Flemish Government, Arts & Heritage.