When the now-famous jazz and soul band Ranky Tanky takes the stage at Charleston Music Hall Friday night, the April 4 performance will carry special significance, according to vocalist and horn player Charlton Singleton.
“This is where we’re from, and the energy is usually pretty high,” he said, “because we’ve got so many family and friends that have been with us from day one,” Singleton said of playing a live show in the group’s hometown.
And while he doesn’t want to speak for other members of Ranky Tanky, he said a hometown show is always a little more meaningful — even more so when the venue holds memories or resonance for the band.
“I’ve had a strong history with that place,” Singleton said, “but it’s not stronger than Quiana’s or Quentin’s. They used to play there back in the mid-‘90s.”
What’s more, Singleton hints at a new progression in the band’s sound, which is currently finding expression in the recording studio as members lay down tracks for the next album.
Back to their roots
Back in 2016, four talented Charleston jazz and soul musicians formed Ranky Tanky.
Featuring Quiana Parler on vocals, Singleton on vocals and trumpet, Clay Ross on guitar, Kevin Hamilton on bass and Quentin Baxter on drums, the group dug deep into the cultural roots of their city, mixing the rhythms and song of Gullah people with jazz and gospel to create a unique, joyful noise.
In hindsight, getting that band together was a pretty good idea.
Ranky Tanky caught on almost immediately. Its 2017 self-titled debut album became a sensation after rave reviews from NPR and the highly-regarded jazz magazine DownBeat. It went straight to Number One on the Billboard Jazz AND Contemporary Jazz Album Charts.
Then its second album, Good Time, won a Grammy in 2020 for Best Regional Roots Music Album. In 2023, the band won another Grammy in the same category for a live album recorded at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Its success allowed Ranky Tanky to tour the country and perform overseas. The musicians are, unquestionably, one of Charleston’s most popular and acclaimed nationally-known bands.
“We’re in the process of recording a new album that will be released this year,” Singleton said. “So we do have new material that will be offering up during the set, as well as some of the other stuff from past albums. There is definitely new material on the setlist.”
“The evolution in our sound is definitely present,” he said. “With a couple of exceptions, all of the songs on the new album are original compositions (their prior releases largely featured traditional Gullah material). And if you’ve been with a band for a long time, you have a sense of the sound of the people that you’re playing with, which influences the writing.”
Singleton added that after the meticulous approach of working in a recording studio, he’s interested to see the songs have new life onstage.
“Records always are going to have studio magic,” he said. “But when you’re live, you can extend songs and you can hear more raw emotion and feeling because it’s right there in the moment.
“Like anybody that’s playing a studio version versus a live version, there are slight differences that you’re going to find. You definitely get the joy of both the record and the show, but seeing it live and in person definitely gives you more energized version, if you will,”
And even after almost a decade of sold-out concert tours, awards, albums and acclaim, Singleton said he’s mainly thankful for the other members of Ranky Tanky.
“It’s about the hang,” he said. “We’ve known each other for over 30 years, and that’s something that a lot of people find hard to believe.”
In fact, in the afterglow of Ranky Tanky’s first Grammy win, Singleton felt compelled to make a statement about his musical companions.
“I did a post on one of the social media sites,” he said, “and it was a picture of us standing all together with Grammys in our hands. And I said, ‘The majority of you think that this is something recent. But we were a family long before there was even a thought of Ranky Tanky. And we make this music about our home.’ Having said that, it’s been wonderful to be recognized with these awards, and it’s quite an amazing journey that we’ve been on.”
Catch Ranky Tanky April 4 at Charleston Music Hall. Doors, 7 p.m. Show, 8 p.m. Find tickets (prices start at $39.50) and more info at charlestonmusichall.com.
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