The Blind Boys of Alabama

“harmonic perfection” – Pop Matters

The Blind Boys of Alabama enjoy worldwide recognition as living legends of gospel music. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Recording Academy/Grammys have celebrated them with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Also, they earned induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Further, they won six Grammy Awards. Thus, they have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that spans over seventy years. 

The Blind Boys crossed multiple musical boundaries with remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favorites to contemporary spirituals. Also, they recorded songs by Eric Clapton, Prince, and Tom Waits. They have appeared on recordings with many artists, including Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Bonnie Raitt, and Willie Nelson. Additionally, Aaron Neville, Susan Tedeschi, Ben Harper, Patty Griffin, and Taj Mahal have worked with them.

2023’s Echoes Of The South finds the Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees coming home to honor those they’ve lost. However, it also boldly declares how far they still plan to go. This is a group well-versed in overcoming incredible odds. They went from singing for pocket change in the Jim Crow South to performing for three different American presidents. They were part of the soundtrack of the Civil Rights movement and defined modern gospel music as we know it. 

Recently, the group pursued their decades-long mission of spreading light and love with deeper context. Here, they lost of two of their own, Paul Beasley and Benjamin Moore, both longtime members of the Blind Boys. Thus, they keep to the Blind Boys’ long-held mission statement at its core: “As long as everybody gives all that they have to give and we singsongs that touch the heart, we’ll live on forever.”

Recommended for fans of Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’ and Allen Toussaint.

LEARN MORE: https://www.blindboys.com/

📸: Cole Weber