Ranky Tanky has achieved many firsts for South Carolina’s West African-rooted Gullah community since their formation, earning yet another milestone at the 2019 Grammy Awards by taking home the Best Regional Roots Album prize for their sophomore release, “Good Time.” The album, which also hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart, combines songs carried down through generations in the Sea Islands of the Southeastern United States with the band’s own original compositions in the Gullah tradition.

In Ranky Tanky’s hands, this style of music has been described as “soulful honey to the ears” (NPR) while being covered by The New York Times, NPR’s Fresh Air, and the Today show.

Ranky Tanky (a Gullah phrase for “get funky”) are five lifelong friends from Charleston, S.C., who have established themselves as passionate global ambassadors for their local culture and community, helping to faithfully preserve the traditions originated by African Americans in the coastal South during slavery that are kept alive through the present day.

LISA FISCHER – After four decades of featured background singing with icons like Luther Vandross, The Rolling Stones, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner and Nine Inch Nails, Lisa Fischer set out to take center stage with her own humble, heartfelt song. The 2013 Best Documentary Oscar-winning film “Twenty Feet from Stardom” altered the course of Lisa’s musical journey, telling her story with clips of her legendary duets with the likes of Sting or with Mick Jagger. The documentary left audiences eager to see and hear more and awakened her lifelong desire to make music that heals but still rocks the house.