CHARLESTON, S.C. — Listen...
It is the sound of sadness, joy and eternal hope, all in a few songs.
For 27 years, Lynnette White has led the Plantation Singers a cappella group. They are a fixture at Halls Chophouse Sunday brunch, where locals – many on their way home from church – and out-of-towners hear the singers celebrate the good news of the gospel and the spirituals inspired by the Gullah Geechee culture.
To White, this music IS the music of South Carolina's Lowcountry.
"That music where we represent some of the old spiritual songs, the old gospel songs and the hymns. The songs that we do were created in the plantation fields," White said. "And then, that music moved into the church, and then, it started spreading out from there."
White founded the Plantation Singers and has been presenting programs and concerts for years. She has a program for schools that teaches students the history of the Lowcountry, from slavery to emancipation to the Gullah culture in its present form. The Gullah are an African American ethnic group that live in the Lowcountry of the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. Many of the local Gullah here are from the nearby Sea Islands.
In 2014, Halls Chophouse, a legendary Charleston restaurant, came calling. The group was asked to sing songs for a gospel brunch. They initially sang from noon to 3 p.m., but soon after, they expanded the concert from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — that's five hours of singing every Sunday!
"They have a restaurant called High Cotton. We did a Saturday brunch for a while for four hours, so we were doing nine hours every weekend for a while," White said.
Halls Chophouse
It would be a mistake to think this group is restricting its reach to breakfast crowds. The outreach of the Plantation Singers is worldwide.
"I believe in sharing what we do with the world, so we went out of the country three times. We do travel all over the United States. We'll go anywhere people want to hear this kind of music," White said. "We have been to Naples, Italy and we have toured Spain, and then, we went to South Korea."
The group has traveled most of South Carolina with a 60-minute program aimed at school-age children. They start the program with their signature song, "This Little Light of Mine." then share a story about Gullah Geechee culture and the Underground Railroad, and they have the children join them in playing instruments.
For White, teaching this South Carolina culture is very important.
"I tell people that this group, the Plantation Singers, are about preservation, education and a celebration of the Gullah Geechee culture," White said.
While at Halls Chophouse, the group sang one of my favorite songs with an unforgettable lyric: "Jesus is my doctor, and he writes all my prescriptions ... in the prayer room."
That message is at the core foundation of the Plantation Singers, and whether you see them in a restaurant, a conference or a festival, White says she has the same theme every day.
"I tell people, 'We represent peace, love and joy!" White said.
The Plantation Singers are a real treat. The story they tell is a tale of slavery, pain and family but incredible joy, and they are spreading that message across the city of Charleston.
Amen!
More of Chuck's Big Adventure in Charleston:
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Charleston: Lowcountry Oyster Co. & cooking with Chef Kevin Mitchell
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Charleston: South Carolina Aquarium
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Charleston: Magnolia Plantation
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Charleston: Fort Sumter
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Charleston: Coastal Expeditions
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Charleston: The Gullah Experience
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Charleston: Charleston Tea Garden
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Charleston: Southern fashion