Gullah people from the Sea Islands of South Carolina are the descendants of Africans captured along Africa’s rice coast. In the so-called new world, the enslaved toiled under the hot Carolina sun along the Atlantic coast. From this bondage came Gullah, a mixture of African and English styles.
This culture has influences across America. Scholars estimate that a third of the people of African descent in this country are the children of those shackled ancestors who came through the port of Charleston.
Today, emerging from the heart of this still fertile cultural epicenter, these four Gullah descendants and one disciple have joined together to revive a heartland of American music born in their own backyards.
“The biggest surprise of [GlobalFEST], Ranky Tanky proved that exotic music can be both unfamiliar enough to be surprising, and yet familiar enough to provoke swinging hips and nodding heads. When it works, it’s the best of both worlds.” – Paste Magazine
“This group isn’t bound to any one particular musical genre, and it is grounded instead by an enigmatic, unshakeable and unspoiled tradition that’s long been hidden in plain sight.” – Jazziz Magazine
1. That's Alright 03:20
2. Turtle Dove 03:59
3. Been in the Storm 04:35
4. Ranky Tanky 02:15
5. O Death 04:20
6. Knee Bone 04:20
7. You Gotta Move 03:08
8. Watch That Star 03:38
9. Sink Em Low 04:11
10. Join the Band 03:15
11. Go the Sleep 02:59
12. You Better Mind 03:36
13. Goodbye Song 02:43
Produced by Quentin E. Baxter
Mixed and Mastered by Elliot Elsey at Truphonic Recording Studios Design and Layout by Marcus Amaker
Graphics by Ty Wilkins and Brian Steely
Photo by Reese Moore
Associate Producers: Jim and Judy Chitwood, Mary and Mason Holland, David and Jennifer Karr, Sylvia Gordon Woodall, Timothy Liptak DMD
All songs traditional, arranged by Ranky Tanky
Writers: John Clayton Ross (ASCAP), Kevin Maurice Hamilton (ASCAP), Quiana Parler (BMI), Charlton Singleton (BMI), Quentin E. Baxter (ASCAP)
Publishers: YalcMusic (ASCAP), Khamp (ASCAP), QuiOnyx Music (BMI), Singletone Music (BMI), BaxMuse Publishing (ASCAP)
