Gullah Spirituals

In Gullah Spirituals, volume 1, ethnomusicologist Eric Sean Crawford examines the history and diffusion of sacred music within the Lowcountry and Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia. This academic work focuses on the St. Helena island community to illuminate the survival and influence of Gullah spirituals since the 1860s. Crawford traces the trajectory of these songs from their West African roots through their use as wartime anthems during World War I and their eventual role in the civil rights movements of the twentieth century.

This ethnomusicology and African American studies text utilizes archival records, personal field recordings, and oral interviews to tell the stories of both the music and the individual music makers. The book explores how these spirituals served as cultural bridges and tools for social change. Readers will find a deep study of ethnic studies and music history, including an appendix of over fifty transcriptions of St. Helena spirituals that preserves these significant cultural traditions.