Gullah Music | GullahNet

Gullah Music was created to introduce children to the evolution of African music in America through Gullah history and culture.

The Gullah Music website was created to introduce children to the evolution of African music in America through Gullah history and culture. Gullah is the name of the descendants of enslaved Africans who lived on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida. It is also the language spoken by the islanders.

Aunt Pearlie Sue and her sidekick stick Reverend Leroy take visitors on a musical journey to listen and learn how African music influenced many styles of music in America. Explore work songs, spirituals, play songs and the blues. 

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African Music | Gullah Music
Episode 1

Audio

Music was an important tradition in Africa centuries before Africans were brought to America. Singing was a part of everyday life when people were at work, worship or play. The drum was the most...
Middle Passage | Gullah Music
Episode 2

Audio

European slave traders brought Africans to the New World on ships as early as the 1400s. These voyages across the Atlantic Ocean are called the Middle Passage. It was a terrible experience for the...
Work Song | Gullah Music
Episode 3

Audio

Enslaved Africans sang songs as they worked to help keep the pace of the task they were doing. A leader called out a verse or yell and others responded. This is the call-and-response singing tradition...
Spirituals | Gullah Music
Episode 4

Audio

Spirituals developed at the same time as work songs on the plantations. Although they were religious songs with a Christian message, spirituals were also heartfelt expressions of the slave experience...
Blues | Gullah Music
Episode 5

Audio

After the Civil War and emancipation, freed men and women struggled to find work and make a new life for their families. The songs about these difficult times were called the blues, a musical style...
Gospel | Gullah Music
Episode 6

Audio

After slavery ended, some African American churches shifted from traditional spirituals to a new kind of religious music called gospel. This style of music brought together the elements of the “shout”...
Jazz | Gullah Music
Episode 7

Audio

Jazz music was born out of the blues. The key element was syncopation (syn-co-pa-tion) that stressed the off beats of the rhythm. In the same way that Gullah language is a mixture of African and...
Country | Gullah Music
Episode 8

Audio

Country music as we know it today grew out of blues and folk music. In country music’s earliest form, southern musicians both white and black, created music for the working class that told stories...