Ranky Tanky have achieved many firsts for South Carolina’s West African-rooted Gullah community since their formation, earning another milestone at the 2019 GRAMMY Awards by taking home the Best Regional Roots Album prize for their sophomore release, Good Time. The album, which also hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart, combines songs carried down through generations in the Sea Islands of the Southeastern United States with the band’s own original compositions in the Gullah tradition. In Ranky Tanky’s hands, this music has been described as “soulful honey to the ears” (NPR) .
Watch Ranky Tanky accept their GRAMMY for Best Regional Roots Album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0tCeoCD1GA&feature=emb_title
Watch Ranky Tanky perform “Freedom” on The TODAY Show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_eu0_ZFgIk&feature=youtu.be
Watch Ranky Tanky perform Freedom on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert #playathome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_sgsdjKFrs&feature=youtu.be
Listen to the GRAMMY-winning record Good Time here: https://ffm.to/_goodtime
Ranky Tanky (a Gullah phrase for “get funky”) are five lifelong friends from Charleston, South Carolina who have established themselves as passionate global ambassadors for their local culture and community, helping to faithfully preserve the traditions originated by African Americans in the coastal South during slavery that are kept alive through the present day. The band have been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air, The Today Show, PBS Newshour and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert #playathome. They were the subjects of a 10-page profile in Oxford American’s South Carolina Music Issue and were named 2020 Artist of The Year by the Charleston City Paper.
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Ranky Tanky with very special guest Ms. Lisa Fischer
This Charleston, SC-based quintet performs timeless music born from the Gullah culture of the southeastern Sea Islands. Their debut album was featured on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross and the TODAY show. It also soared to the #1 position on the Billboard, Amazon, and iTunes Jazz Charts. Playful game songs, ecstatic shouts, and heartbreaking spirituals can all be found on their latest Grammy-winning release Good Time, which also offers the group’s first original songs in the Gullah tradition.