Try the Earliest Times vol #13 of the Southern Journeys collection of Alan Lomax's work, you'll find the Georgia Sea Island Singers, anything by them is a good bet. If you're near Altamont, New York June 26-28 (I think), Frankie Quimby (Bessie Jone's great neice) & husband Doug are hitting the Old Songs Festival this year, aside from a few other places. They are the present day Georgia Sea Island Singers & alot of their songs date to the pre civil war days, when their Islands were owned by white mainland landowners, who'd rarely visit never mind live in the hot, humid place. After the civil war the Islands were still worked (& to some extent owned) by the former slaves, who kept a (natural) distance with the outside, mainland, white world & in doing so kept their music as it had been been since early slavery. Lomax first recorded them in the 30's, when singer Joe Armstrong was in his 90's. The CD notes are loaded with the names of books & recordings that deal with Plantation life. Barry