Marlena Smalls is an American educator and musician of Gullah origin.[1] She is the founder and director of the Hallelujah Singers.
Dr. Marlena Smalls | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
Early life
editSmalls 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
editIn 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
editAfter 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
edit- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c Seldon, Cele Seldon and Lynn (1 August 2019). "Dr. Marlena Smalls and the Hallelujah Singers". www.scliving.coop. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "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.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Marlena Smalls". discoversouthcarolina.com. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Evans, Margaret (9 October 2023). "Her Final Bow | Lowcountry Weekly". Retrieved 16 January 2024.