Marlena Smalls
American educator and musician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marlena Smalls is an American educator and musician of Gullah origin.[1] She is the founder and director of the Hallelujah Singers.
Marlena Smalls | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ohio, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Central State University |
| Occupations | Educator and musician |
| Known for | Founder and director of the Hallelujah Singers |
Early life
Smalls was born in Ohio, United States, 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.[1] Five years later, she formed the Hallelujah Singers to preserve the Gullah culture of the Sea Islands of South Carolina.[4][5] The group has been designated a Local Legacy of South Carolina by the Library of Congress.[6]
Smalls played the mother of Bubba in the 1994 film Forrest Gump.[4][7]
She retired from touring and performing in 2024.[8]
Personal life
After divorcing, Smalls relocated from Dayton, Ohio,[8] to Beaufort, South Carolina, with her six children in 1982.[7][3] She began working as Arts Coordinator for the City of Beaufort.[8] She and her mother (who grew up in Honea Path, South Carolina)[8] 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.[8]