Traditional Music

Blind Singer (Alternative Title: Blind Singer (#1)), ca. 1939-1940 by William H. Johnson, born in Florence, SC. Image by flickr user americanartmuseum. Did you know that South Carolina is home to a rich musical heritage?

• Considerable Grace
  Listen to folk music and traditional African-American music from South Carolina.
• Fiddle Traditions
  The fiddle is an integral part of folk music in the state.
• Upcountry Harmony
  Listen to songs from the Upstate.
• Sacred Prayers Sacred Songs
  These songs are in Native American languages such as Cherokee and Lakota.

The Blues

The music style known as the blues was formed in the southern states by African-Americans. It has a melancholy sound and often expresses themes of hard times, love, oppression, heartbreak, and alienation.

• Drink Small
• Blues Journey
• East Coast Piedmont Blues

SC Musicians

Meet performers that were born or have lived in South Carolina.

• Biographies of SC Musicians
• SC Jazz Musicians

Musical Instruments

Gourd instrument. Image courtesy of USC Music Library.

Learn about instruments that are made and used here in South Carolina. The banjo was first made by slaves who used gourds to make an instrument similar to ones in Africa.

• Gourd Banjos
• American Roots Music
• Banjo
• Banjo
• Making a Fiddle