Marlena Smalls
Dr. Marlena Smalls | |
---|---|
Born | Ohio, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Marlena Smalls is an American educator and musician of Gullah origin.[1] She is the founder and director of the Hallelujah Singers.
Early life
Smalls was born in Ohio to parents from South Carolina,[2] one of their eight children.[3] She attended Central State University in Ohio.[4]
Career
In 1984, Smalls founded the Gullah Festival in Beaufort, South Carolina.[5] Five years later, she formed the Hallelujah Singers to preserve the Gullah culture of the Sea Islands of South Carolina.[4][6] The group has been designated a Local Legacy of South Carolina by the Library of Congress.[7] Smalls played the mother of Bubba in Forrest Gump (1994).[4][8] She retired from touring and performing in 2024.[9]
Personal life
After divorcing, Smalls relocated from Dayton, Ohio,[9] to Beaufort, South Carolina, with her six children in 1982.[8][3] She began working as Arts Coordinator for the City of Beaufort.[9] She and her mother (who grew up in Honea Path, South Carolina)[9] also established the Lowcountry School for Music, where they provided piano and vocals lessons to students in the Beaufort area. They had almost two hundred students in their early years.[3] The parents of some of her students became the original version of the Hallelujah Singers.[1] Smalls was inducted into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame in 2004. She received an honorary doctorate from the University of South Carolina.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 bftlifestyle (12 June 2018). "The Business of Culture and Entertainment". Beaufort Lifestyle. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ↑ "Marlena Smalls | Kennedy Center". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Seldon, Cele Seldon and Lynn (1 August 2019). "Dr. Marlena Smalls and the Hallelujah Singers". www.scliving.coop. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "ABOUT". drsmalls. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ↑ bftlifestyle (12 June 2018). "The Business of Culture and Entertainment". Beaufort Lifestyle. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ↑ "Hallelujah Singers, The". South Carolina Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ↑ Collector, Representative (2nd District) Floyd Spence-- (2000). "Hallelujah Singers". lcweb2.loc.gov. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Marlena Smalls". discoversouthcarolina.com. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Evans, Margaret (9 October 2023). "Her Final Bow | Lowcountry Weekly". Retrieved 16 January 2024.