Grammy winners Ranky Tanky to take the stage on Sunday for Down by the Riverside
With Lowcountry rhythms, blues, and jazz, Rochester will dance to the upbeat tunes of Grammy-award-winning band Ranky Tanky — whose work has made it to No. 1 in jazz on Billboard, iTunes, and Amazon charts.
Ranky Tanky will take the Think Bank Down by the Riverside stage this Sunday at Mayo Park at 8 p.m. with local roots-rock band Thomas and the Shakes opening at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
Ranky Tanky’s music celebrates Gullah culture, the name given to the community that evolved from descendants of enslaved West African people in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Gullah has its own creole language, traditions, and is deeply rooted in dance music, gospel, and children’s game songs.
Formed in 2016, the South Carolina quintet of Clay Ross, Kevin Hamilton, Quentin Baxter, Charlton Singleton and Quiana Parler debuted their eponymous album just a year later and garnered an interview with NPR’s Terry Gross and an appearance on “The Today Show.”
Their album Good Time, which features a mixture of traditional Gullah tunes as well as originals, won a Grammy award in 2020.
Connecting with vocalist Quiana Parler, an American Idol alumna, reporter Haley Handelman learned how Ranky Tanky’s music is reviving and uplifting Gullah culture.
MCB: Tell me about the origins of Ranky Tanky. I see Quentin Baxter, Kevin Hamilton, Clay Ross and Charlton Singleton previously played together in a jazz quartet in the 1990s. How did the band come to form two decades later?
Parler: We've all played together over the last 20 years, but the four guys had a band together and they would play jazz music. They came up with this idea to start a Gullah, because our guitarist has traveled the world and he’s never seen anyone celebrate Gullah culture. From there, they played a few gigs together with the same material that we play now — from the first album. They felt like they needed a female vocalist and I've been with all of them since I was, gosh, in high school, middle school. They say it was a no-brainer; I say it was a blessing.
MCB: Going off of that, what inspired Ranky Tanky’s focus specifically on this genre of music?
Parler: It all started with Clay Ross’s idea of wanting to highlight the rich history of the Gullah people here in the east coast, on the coastal islands. While he traveled he saw other histories being put out there, but no one was going beyond what we have here with the Gullah people.
MCB: What is the importance Gullah culture to you?
Parler: The importance of that is keeping my culture and the story of my ancestors alive and present on the forefront. It's still alive and thriving and our fear is people not understanding that there are still people living on these islands. This is our language and that we use, you know, I could flip flop in a heartbeat and understand the language. It’s still thriving. My son is a direct descendant, his dad is from John’s Island, South Carolina, which played a major role in a part of history. I like to say I've given back by carrying on that legacy with my son and his father.
MCB: How does your songwriting process go?
Parler: So, what we do is we take kids games and songs that the Gullah people did and do in church, and we turn it into music and song. They were all about the rhythm and even in the bad times, they still celebrated the good times. That’s what we do with the band, we could take the saddest story about death and turn it into a dance song - because that's what our people did and they still do today. A lot of these songs we do are kids games, like ‘pattycake pattcake,’ that kept kids entertained. People are also familiar with “Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore” which game from the Gullah community, as well as “Kumbaya.” A lot of these songs had hidden secret coded messages in them that we understood and knew as an escape route and about our freedom that was coming.
MCB: Your album Good Time won a Grammy for Best Regional Roots Music Album in 2020. WHat was it like to win the award just a few years after forming?
Parler: Oh my God, it was amazing. I still can't put into words what it feels like to be a Grammy winner. That day when we won, we still laugh about this, they called out the name of the album and not the band — “Good Time, Ranky Tanky.” We're all sitting there wondering ‘who is Good Time?’ We were so surprised. But before they announced the winner, I looked over to my band. I said, you know what, at the end of the day, we’re still here as Grammy Award nominees. So see you at the end. And the end was amazing. I am so glad to have been able to share that moment with my brothers that I've known since I was a little girl. Who would have ever thought, I've been on the road and toured with so many artists, and to come home and win this Grammy with them, it’s unbelievable.
MCB: Is there a performance with Ranky Tanky that has been the most meaningful to you?
Parler: There’s been so many memorable concerts, but I think for us either being on “The Today Show” or on NPR with Terry Gross. Terry Gross has to be my number one favorite because she helped us catapult our band to a whole other level when she introduced us to the world. If it had not been for Terry Gross, I don’t know — we owe her so much. Her just having us on the show shot the album up to number one. That was a blessing; it was an amazing feeling.
MCB: After a year of canceled shows, how are you feeling about being back on the road and being able to bring your music to Minnesota?
Parler: We’re super excited! We’re actually really excited to hear Thomas and the Shakes and share the stage with them. This is going to be an amazing show, we have some new tunes that we’ve incorporated that aren’t on any released albums. The audience is going to get to hear some new tunes and we can’t wait for that.
Watch Ranky Tanky live in concert this Sunday in Rochester. Details here.
✍️ Interview by Haley Handelman
About the opening act: Thomas & the Shakes
Rochester-based roots rock band known for their authentic blend of rock, R&B, folk, and reggae sounds. Formed in 2013 by Thomas Wescott (guitar/vocals) and Garrett Kolb (drums), the duo recorded and self-released their acoustic EP, All My Favorite Things Are Free, before recruiting Mark Walsh (Sax/Flute) to complete the lineup. The expansion resulted in the bigger, more energetic sound heard on their debut album, Mind Your Time, featuring dynamic rhythms, laid back melodies, rich vocal harmonies and emotionally charged lyrics.
