Ranky Tanky will bring the music of their Charleston, South Carolina-based and West African-rooted Gullah community back to the GRAMMYs this year, earning their second nomination for Best Regional Roots Album with 'Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.' The nomination marks two consecutive Ranky Tanky albums to be honored with GRAMMY nominations, following their Best Regional Roots Album win in 2020 for the five-piece's most recent studio collection 'Good Time' (Resilience Music Alliance). With their 2020 win, Ranky Tanky also became the first musicians to earn GRAMMY recognition for Gullah music - a style originated in the Sea Islands of the Southeastern United States by the West African-rooted Gullah community during slavery, and one that is faithfully preserved by their descendants through the present day.
Listen to Ranky Tanky's 'Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival' here: https://bit.ly/3grqITF
Watch PBS Newshour's segment on Ranky Tanky and Gullah Music here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-NcVKzVIQM
Listen to Ranky Tanky discuss Gullah with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air here: https://www.npr.org/2017/12/12/569965570/ranky-tanky-leans-on-the-music…
Ranky Tanky (which is a phrase in the Gullah community for “get funky”) are five lifelong friends from Charleston, South Carolina with decorated musical backgrounds primarily in jazz and gospel - Quentin Baxter (drums/percussions), Kevin Hamilton (bass), Quiana Parler (vocals), Clay Ross (guitar and vocals) and Charlton Singleton (trumpet and vocals). In addition to their recent GRAMMY nomination and 2020 win, the group were also the first to bring Gullah music to the top of the Billboard charts - earning a #1 on the Contemporary Jazz Chart for 'Good Time.' They've also recently teamed with fellow South Carolina native Stephen Colbert to bring Gullah music to his Late Show audience, and with longtime fan Al Roker for a performance on The TODAY Show.
'Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival' was recorded this year during the band's JazzFest debut - bringing Gullah music to an event long admired for shining a light on the music and culture of under-represented communities. The collection consists mostly of fan favorites reimagined for the live stage, culled from 'Good Time' as well as the band's self-titled 2018 debut, and the previously unreleased originals “Lift Me Up” and “Down In My Heart.” In addition to performing at JazzFest, Ranky Tanky have completed multiple European tours recently plus a residency at the iconic Blue Note in New York City and shows as part of their ongoing collaboration sharing the stage with multi-time GRAMMY winner Lisa Fischer, including at San Francisco's SFJAZZ. The group have also begun work on their next studio album, which will be coming in the near future.
