Melanie DeMore and Gullah stick pounding
Apr. 22nd, 2026 09:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soniaAbout a year ago, a Portland friend who was in town said she had a ticket for a singing meditation event at Spirit Rock the next day, and she could pick me up on the way if I wanted to go too. Sure, why not! So I bought my own ticket, and we got there early and had a picnic lunch and walked around the gorgeous grounds in hilly rural Marin until it was time to go into the hall.
We opted for chairs rather than meditation cushions, and I'm glad because it was a couple of hours long. I had no idea what to expect, but I thought it would include periods of silent meditation. I think we had one ten minute period of meditation, but Melanie DeMore came out singing in her rich deep gorgeous voice, and mostly sang spirituals (surviaval songs) and told us stories about her interactions with other famous singers like Pete Seeger, and explained that Kumbaya was actually "Come by me," a prayer from enslaved people. She called us her babies. I wept into my mask through a lot of it, at the realness and the kindness in that voice surrounding us.
Here you can see and hear her lead a couple of songs at a concert in 2014
In February, a friend said she was going to see Linda Tillery in a few days in Berkeley, did I want to get a ticket and go too. Sure, why not! Linda Tillery is a legendary Black singer from San Francisco, and she had gathered together many members of her Cultural Heritage Choir for a Black History Month reunion. She is a force and a voice to be reckoned with, even with health issues that led to using a wheelchair for the concert.
To my delight, Melanie DeMore was there as a past member of the Cultural Heritage Choir. The musicians took turns leading songs, each more skilled than the next, and she led some Gullah Stick Pounding, with powerful rhythms.
Here she shares some of the history of Gullah Stick Pounding and why she teaches it to choirs all over.
And one more, teaching "I will be your standing stone, I will stand by you"
We opted for chairs rather than meditation cushions, and I'm glad because it was a couple of hours long. I had no idea what to expect, but I thought it would include periods of silent meditation. I think we had one ten minute period of meditation, but Melanie DeMore came out singing in her rich deep gorgeous voice, and mostly sang spirituals (surviaval songs) and told us stories about her interactions with other famous singers like Pete Seeger, and explained that Kumbaya was actually "Come by me," a prayer from enslaved people. She called us her babies. I wept into my mask through a lot of it, at the realness and the kindness in that voice surrounding us.
Here you can see and hear her lead a couple of songs at a concert in 2014
In February, a friend said she was going to see Linda Tillery in a few days in Berkeley, did I want to get a ticket and go too. Sure, why not! Linda Tillery is a legendary Black singer from San Francisco, and she had gathered together many members of her Cultural Heritage Choir for a Black History Month reunion. She is a force and a voice to be reckoned with, even with health issues that led to using a wheelchair for the concert.
To my delight, Melanie DeMore was there as a past member of the Cultural Heritage Choir. The musicians took turns leading songs, each more skilled than the next, and she led some Gullah Stick Pounding, with powerful rhythms.
Here she shares some of the history of Gullah Stick Pounding and why she teaches it to choirs all over.
And one more, teaching "I will be your standing stone, I will stand by you"
no subject
Date: 2026-04-24 06:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-27 04:57 am (UTC)Thanks so much for the introduction
Date: 2026-05-03 05:18 pm (UTC)Reminds me of Odetta, whose records I loved growing up.
In addition to Melanie’s grand voice and intense conductor energy, I love her “vocal activist” framing.
Her site points to CD Baby for samples, but they seem to have pivoted away from end-user contact with independent musicians. There's a 2025 album with the Vocal Essence choir: https://vocalessence.bandcamp.com/track/sending-you-light
Holly Near’s BecauseOfASong.com is an archive of women's music, photos, stories, and Melanie is one of the featured artists. Melanie's page https://becauseofasong.com/melanie/ has photos, videos, and brief biography. One 12-minute video is Holly interviewing Melanie, discussing the whys of “vocal activism,” “can White people sing spirituals?,” Melanie’s history in women's music and the Obeah Opera about Tituba, an enslaved woman who was the first person killed in the Salem Witch Trials.
In an earlier life, I was in “movement bands,” hoping to knit together activist groups. In that last video, DeMore captures and demonstrates how singing together can nurture awesome power and healing.
Ahhh, the power of song!