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McIntosh County Shouters: Gullah-Geechee Ring Shout From Georgia

From their website:

“The McIntosh County Shouters have been demonstrating old slave shouts and singing slave songs all their lives. This age-old tradition was believed to have died out in the early 20th century. When it was discovered by outsiders that the members of the Bolden/Briar Patch community in coastal Georgia still practiced a custom that was begun by their ancestors, a performing group from the community was organized, calling themselves the McIntosh County Shouters. For over 30 years, ethnomusicologists, folklorists, historians, professors, Gullah Geechee experts, filmmakers, humanities and other professionals have interviewed this group to learn more about the history of the ring shout, Gullah Geechee, and traditions of coastal Georgia. The group travels to schools, festivals, churches, public and private events educating audiences young and old about the ring shout and the Gullah Geechee heritage.”

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Related Links:

The New Georgia Encyclopedia

The Library of Congress (Webcasts)

Smithsonian Folkways (Slave Shout Songs from the Coast of Georgia)

Savannah Morning News (McIntosh County Shouters Win Humanities Award)