| The Blind Boys of Alabama | |
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The Blind Boys of Alabama performing at the Quebec City Summer Festival in 2008. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Alabama, United States |
| Genres | Gospel, Blues |
| Years active | 1939–present |
| Website | www.blindboys.com |
The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind at Talladega, Alabama in 1939. The three main vocalists of the group and their drummer/percussionist are all blind.
As of 2010, The Blind Boys of Alabama continue to tour nationally and internationally, with Jimmy Carter singing lead vocals. In 2006, Clarence Fountain, the group's former long-time lead vocalist and founding member limited his touring for health reasons. Founding member George Scott died on March 9, 2005 at the age of 75. Another founding member, Johnny Fields, died on November 12, 2009.
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Releases by the group in recent years have been favorites at the Grammy Awards—they won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album four straight years between 2002 and 2005. The Blind Boys of Alabama were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2009, they were awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[1]
In the early 1980s, the Blind Boys of Alabama performed in the Obie Award-winning musical The Gospel at Colonus; their involvement in the production has continued into the twenty-first century, including a 2008 performance in Athens, Greece, near the original performance location of Sophocles's play Oedipus at Colonus, where Jimmy Carter took over the role of Oedipus originally created for Clarence Fountain. This was followed by performances in 2009 in Edinburgh Scotland at the Edinburgh International Festival and in 2010 at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina[2]
Their rendition of Tom Waits' "Way Down in the Hole" was used as the theme song of the HBO series The Wire in its first season and as incidental music in the end-of-season montage for the fifth season.
Their performance of the spiritual "I Shall Not Walk Alone" was featured in the first season of ABC's Lost, in the episode "Confidence Man".
They have appeared on-screen in the feature films "The Fighting Temptations" (2003) and "Hop" (2011) and sang a song in the Disney animated feature "Brother Bear" (2003)
The Blind Boys were featured on the Imus in the Morning radio and TV show on November 30, 2006 and October 26, 2009; on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on December 20, 2006, and March 11, 2008; on Late Night With Conan O'Brien on February 1, 2008; and on The Late Show with David Letterman on January 21, 2010. They have collaborated with numerous artists, including Ben Harper, Aaron Neville and Mavis Staples. They have joined Tom Petty and Peter Gabriel on tour, and they toured with Taj Mahal in 2008. In a surprise to both the band and the audience, the Blind Boys were joined by Prince on stage in a March 7, 2008 show at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, California.
In 2009, the Blind Boys released their new recording, Duets, a special anthology featuring 14 unique collaborations. Unlike some of their old-time gospel music brethren, the Blind Boys eagerly embrace the popular music world, bringing gospel music to mainstream audiences. This album documented these rich, eclectic and cohesive interactions with popular artists. Duets ranges from rock to reggae, country to contemporary Christian, and blues to ballads, all unified by the Blind Boys’ deep, soulful harmonizing. Guest artists include Lou Reed, John Hammond and Toots Hibbert – as well as a new song with Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles. The album also includes performances with Ben Harper, Randy Travis, Bonnie Raitt, Solomon Burke, Susan Tedeschi, Jars of Clay, Charlie Musselwhite, Asleep At The Wheel, and Dan Zanes.
In February 2010, The Blind Boys performed at the White House for President Obama and the First Lady along with Bob Dylan, Natalie Cole, John Mellencamp, and Smokey Robinson.[3]
In April 2011, the band released Take The High Road in Australia and followed it with a headlining tour that included the East and West Coast Bluesfest and the Sydney Opera House. The CD, which was also released in the U.S. on May 3, features guest artists Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack, Hank Williams, Jr., The Oak Ridge Boys, and Nashville heavyweight Jamey Johnson, who also co-produced the record.
Lamont Blount-- (deceased) band manager Roscoe Robinson (lead vocals)
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