S.C. State University Alumnus wins second Grammy award
Orangeburg, SC (WOLO) — Sunday night hundreds walked off the stage of the Grammy Awards with a miniature gramophone for their contribution to music over the past year. One of them is a South Carolina native.
Charlton Singleton attended South Carolina State University back in 1994 where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in music performance, and was a member of S.C. State’s Marching 101 Band and Henderson Davis Players. His love of music started long before that. According to the University, Singleton, a native of Awendaw, South Carolina began playing the piano at age 3.
From there, he studied the organ, the cello and the trumpet. Eventually going on to teach music in elementary, middle and high schools and also serves as a adjunct faculty member at the College of Charleston.
Singleton, along with his group ‘Ranky Tanky’, whose music is a mixture of Gullah songs, jazz, blues, folk and gospel music took home the gold in the category for ‘Best Regional Roots Music Album’. A live recording of an album entitled ‘Live at the 2022New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival”
The group made up of trumpeter/singer Singleton, singer Quiana Parler, singer/guitarist Ross, bassist Kevin Hamilton, and drummer Quentin Baxter. Singleton, Hamilton, and Baxter initially played together in the jazz ensemble Gradual Lean in the late ’90s. Sunday night’s win earned the group their second Grammy award.
