the five members of Ranky Tanky pose with their instruments
"Lively, soulful honey to the ears."
—NPR

Ranky Tanky

7 p.m. Sunday, February 22, 2026 | Polsky Theatre

Tickets start at $25.
Season ticket packages on sale May 5, 2025.
Individual shows on sale June 16, 2025.

Individual Tickets Season Tickets (Save 10-15% per show)

Ranky Tanky (a Gullah phrase for “get funky”) are five lifelong friends from Charleston, South Carolina, who have established themselves as passionate global ambassadors for their local culture and community. Through their performance, they are helping to faithfully preserve the traditions originated by African Americans in the coastal South during slavery kept alive through the present day.

Ranky Tanky have achieved many firsts for South Carolina’s West African-rooted Gullah community since their formation, earning yet another milestone at the 2019 Grammy Awards by taking home the Best Regional Roots Album prize for their sophomore release, “Good Time.” The album, which also hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart, combines songs carried down through generations in the Sea Islands of the Southeastern United States with the band’s own original compositions in the Gullah tradition. In Ranky Tanky's hands, this style of music has been described as "soulful honey to the ears" (NPR).

The band has been featured on NPR's “Fresh Air,” “The Today Show,” “PBS Newshour,” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s” “#playathome.” Ranky Tanky was honored to be featured artists in President Biden’s inauguration event, “We The People.” They were the subjects of a 10-page profile in Oxford American’s “South Carolina Music” issue and were named 2020 Artist of The Year by the Charleston City Paper.