On St. Helena Island, South Carolina, a group of singers in their 70s and 80s is preserving the Gullah Geechee culture through centuries-old spirituals, guided by musicologist Dr. Eric Crawford.
These songs—rooted in the faith and resilience of enslaved Africans—are performed in the traditional Gullah Creole language, linking the community to its West African ancestry.
The ensemble, Voices of Gullah, carries forward spirituals such as Kumbaya and Roll Jordan Roll, passed down from enslaved laborers on the Sea Islands’ rice and cotton plantations.
“The language is here, the place where they sang is here,” Crawford says. “This is where the songs began.”
From Praise Houses to World Stages
The group began in 2007 when Crawford recorded four singers at Coffin Point Praise House—one of only three surviving wooden worship spaces built by enslaved people.
Today, they tour across the U.S. and abroad, bringing their culture to wider audiences.
Crawford likens Minnie Gadson’s stage presence to James Brown’s energy, praises Rosa Murray’s soulful delivery, and calls Deacon Joe Murray “Gullah Geechee culture” personified.
With their youngest member, Charles “Jojo” Brown, now 71, the group faces the challenge of time.
Brown recalls childhood ring shouts using washboards and pots as instruments.
“I’ll sing till I can’t anymore,” he says. Crawford worries about the future: “When my singers are gone, who carries the torch?”
Grant proposals aim to introduce the spirituals to younger generations, even blending them into modern genres like hip-hop. “Understand its origins, then make it your own,” Crawford advises.
For now, the elders’ voices—resonating inside Brick Baptist Church as they clap and sway—remain a powerful bridge between past and future, carrying the defiant, unbroken spirit of the Gullah Geechee people.
