PURCHASE TICKETS

Gullah Geechee Cultural Series: Gullah Me, Gullah You

Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at SoundWaves
(Doors open at 6:00 p.m.; 6:30 pm dinner; 7:30 pm concert)

Preach! Gospel Music in the Gullah Geechee Culture

Lavon Stevens, artistic director

Special Guests:
Elders Group, Dr. Eric Crawford, director

The Lavon Stevens Band:
Lavon Stevens, piano
Clarence Williams, bass
Jimmy Charles, drums

This special presentation will trace music development in the Gullah Geechee community through the eras featuring Columbia, South Carolina’s Dr. Eric Crawford, and The Elders.

Eric Crawford, former Director of the Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies, holds a Ph.D. in musicology from The Catholic University of America. His research focuses on the rich tradition of Gullah music, specifically the retentions and alterations that have occurred since the antebellum period. Beginning in 2007, he conducted extensive field recordings on Saint Helena Island, site of the historic Port Royal Experiment, and his transcriptions are held at the Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. In 2013, the Atheneaum Press at Coastal Carolina University published several of his interviews in a CD and accompanying booklet entitled Gullah: The Voice of an Island. His work on historic Sandy Island led to the 2017 publication At Low Tide: The Voices of Sandy Island. This booklet and interactive multi-media project highlight the rich history of Sandy Island and the need to ensure this island’s continued survival. Most recently he appeared in Henry Louis Gates’ upcoming miniseries The Black Church and was music consultant for the upcoming Amazon series The Underground Railroad. His upcoming book is entitled Gullah Spirituals: The Sounds of Protest and Freedom in the South Carolina Sea Islands (2021). Eric Crawford serves on the Grants and Program Committee of the SC Humanities Board.

Chef Wendell Osborne of Food Savvy LLC has prepared an authentic menu including meal options of herb roasted chicken breast over perloo rice smothered with stewed okra and tomatoes, topped with crispy collard greens (GF); Carolina shrimp smothered in brown gravy over stone ground Havarti grits, topped with crispy collard greens (GF); stewed okra and tomatoes over stone ground Havarti grits, topped with crispy collard greens (V)(GF).

Patrons who order the dinner/concert package will receive one complimentary drink with their purchase.

Seating is cabaret-style at tables of 4.
Reserved dinner/concert seats are $79 per person.
Dinner/concert general seating is $69 per person.
General seating for concert-only tickets is $49 per person.

Elevate your experience with a hi-top table for two with bar stool seating: $195 per couple, including a bottle of wine!
(only 6 hi-tops available)
3% credit card fee

Doors and bar open at 6:00 pm with dinner service at 6:30 pm.
The concert portion of the evening begins at 7:30 pm.
Concert-only ticket purchasers will be admitted beginning at 7:15 pm.

Gullah Geechee Cultural Series: Gullah Me, Gullah You

Gullah Me, Gullah You Gullah Cultural Series is our community’s exciting music event series celebrating all things Gullah. Mostly of music, but also storytelling, history, food, and culture; each performance, modeled in the spirit of a television talk-show setting but reversed as a musical show-talk event, heralds local Gullah citizens for their contributions to our community and celebrates Gullah Geechee guest artists from the entire Gullah Geechee Corridor. Held at SoundWaves, in Gullah churches, and Hilton Head schools, Gullah Me, Gullah You introduces us to many touching and beautiful stories as well as challenges of native Islander life here on Hilton Head Island and throughout the Gullah Geechee corridor. In support of Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Native Island Business and Community Affairs Association and the Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, this series is sure to entertain and enlighten all! Bonus: Gullah cuisine dinner option available before the show. Presented by The Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, and Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, and Native Island Business and Community Affairs Association