African American shape-note singers in West Georgia arrange themselves in the same hollow square as Sacred Harp singers, and they also ‘sing the notes’ before proceeding to the words of a song. However, the United Shape Note Singers have a decidedly different feel to their singings. For one, they use
Members of the United Shape Note singers use a variety of songbooks for their singings. Not all members of the group use the same selection of books, so photocopies are made to pass out for certain songs. These books and copies are carried to each singing in suitcases like the
Before opening their songbooks and singing the notes, the United Shape Note Singers go through a selection of warm-up songs in a call-and-response pattern. Here, they perform a version of the popular “Come and Go with Me to That Land.” Each song at a USNS singing begins with a
The United Shape Note Singers Travel to different churches around West Georgia on most Sundays of the year. Use this map to find the next singing.