Two-time GRAMMY Award-winning quintet Ranky Tanky from Charleston, South Carolina, are back with their uplifting new single \u201cBe Alright\u201d, the first glimpse of their forthcoming 2026 album This Village. Known for turning the living rhythms of Gullah music into modern American grooves, the band infuses the track with the warmth, faith, and resilience that has defined their career.<\/p>\n
From the opening pulse of the drums to the soaring trumpet lines, \u201cBe Alright\u201d is built on a foundation of community and shared history. Quiana Parler\u2019s commanding vocals anchor the song, while Kevin Hamilton\u2019s bass and Quentin E. Baxter\u2019s drums hold steady, and Charlton Singleton\u2019s trumpet lifts the melody like a prayer. Guitarist Clay Ross threads rhythm and brightness through the track, making it both rooted in tradition and vibrantly contemporary.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as we stick together as a family and community, it\u2019ll be alright,\u201d Singleton says. \u201cAs long as we keep the Faith, it\u2019ll be alright. Those are two of the sayings and ways of life I grew up surrounded by in the Gullah community.\u201d Ross adds, \u201cThe phrase came from something Quiana sang during a soundcheck. I built the lyrics around that spark, wanting to connect with how Gullah music transforms pain into praise and struggle into song. \u2018Be Alright\u2019 carries a spirit of hope and joy. Our mission has always been to honor and uplift the Gullah tradition, guided by the voices who come directly from it, and to share its message of strength, love, and community with the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ranky Tanky\u2019s catalog has always existed at the intersection of history and groove. Over the past decade, the group has transformed Gullah roots into a living, breathing language of American music, earning two GRAMMY Awards for Best Regional Roots Album, topping Billboard\u2019s Jazz chart, and reaching audiences worldwide through NPR\u2019s Fresh Air, The TODAY Show, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.<\/p>\n
In 2025, the quintet was named to Charleston Magazine\u2019s \u201c50 Most Influential\u201d, recognizing their impact on the city\u2019s cultural identity and their ongoing work amplifying Gullah heritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith \u2018Be Alright,\u2019 Ranky Tanky reminds us that music can be both a balm and a celebration,\u201d we wrote after an early listen.<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s a song that carries history, joy, and the unwavering pulse of community \u2014 a moment where ancestral rhythm meets present-day purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n The single, mixed by multiple GRAMMY winner Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, The Revivalists), is a celebration of connection, faith, and resilience, and a first taste of the band\u2019s forthcoming album This Village, arriving in 2026.<\/p>\n For more information and tour dates, visit rankytanky.com<\/p>\n It\u2019s a song that carries history, joy, and the unwavering pulse of community \u2014 a moment where ancestral rhythm meets present-day purpose.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/g4-mJhE-B3s\/hqdefault.jpg\"\/)
<\/div>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/musictalkers.com\/images\/artists\/mejjjj.png\")