McIntosh County Shouters
For more than two centuries, the offspring of London and Aimee Jenkins had been gathering on New Year’s Eve for Watch Night Services, anxiously awaiting the ensuing Ring Shout. In 1980, folklorists discovered that the ring shout was still alive and practiced in Bolden (Briar Patch), Georgia. This is when the McIntosh County Shouters first began performing outside of their community. Their first performance was at the Georgia Sea Island Festival on St. Simons Island, Georgia in 1980. The McIntosh County Shouters perform ring shouts and sing songs that Negro slaves were singing when they arrived by ship in Virginia in the 1700s. The songs are sung to many different melodies. Themes range from biblical vignettes to themes translated to speak of worldly conditions. The shout is founded on a deep religious conviction and a medium of communication–often secret. Today the group is recognized as the only “authentic” practitioners of the historic ring shout.
The McIntosh County Shouters is a group made up of ten individuals who are all blood related. The group has been performing the authentic ring shout for more than 40 years. Several of the original McIntosh County Shouters are now deceased, but the legacy is being perpetuated by their children and their grandchildren. It is of utmost importance to each member of this group to accurately educate their audiences while providing a unique and entertaining performance. They firmly believe in maintaining the traditions of their ancestors. The pride they have in their heritage is ever-present during every performance.