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Sons of Andros Discuss Spirituality, Family, and Bahamian Gospel Music [Interview Video]

Sons of Andros is a contemporary gospel group from the Bahamian island of Andros. Harington "Zippy" Frazier and four of his sons perform traditional Bahamian gospel, which integrates European hymns, West African dances, and American slave songs. Sons of Andros also showcase flawless four-part harmonies characteristic of Bahamian music. In this interview, members of the group explain the importance of spirituality and family to Bahamian music and culture. They are featured on The Bahamas: Islands of Song, released by Smithsonian Folkways in 1997.

This compilation of music from the Bahamas includes goombay rake-and-scrape dance bands (goombay refers to both the skin drum and the ensemble as a whole), spirituals, and fingerpicking guitar music. All the performers on this recording participated in the 1994 Festival of American Folklife, an annual event presented on the Mall in Washington, D.C., by the Smithsonian Institute’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. They were recorded in Nassau on 2 and 3 February 1995.