Text by Jen Paulson.
Photos by Alexa Jones.
I have zero experience with Gospel music. To be honest with you, I went to this show on a lark to broaden my musical horizons and to hopefully be schooled by the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama. Its original members formed at The Alabama School for the Negro Blind in the late 30s. Founding singers Clarence Fountain (who was not in attendance) and Jimmy Carter (obviously not the 39th President of the United States) are the only remaining from its original lineup. The lights went down slightly as Fred Childs, host of MPR Classical’s weekday program, Performance Today, introduced them. Childs gave a brief and concise history of the group and set an amazing tone for the rest of the show. I swear this man has one of the most soothing speaking voices I have ever heard.
The Blind Boys of Alabama took the stage together with their band, in their trademark style, linked by their hands on each other’s shoulders. Jimmy Carter served as their leader, while providing charming between-song banter throughout the show. He possessed the air of a warmly amusing preacher, and his infectiously jolly laugh brought a smile to my face every time it would roll out of him. The magic began immediately as they opened with Down by the Riverside. Following that up with Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky, it put the original to shame as if the song hadn’t been soiled already by its movie soundtrack and television commercial spots of recent years. The guitars of Caleb Butler and Joey Williams were deep, rollicking, and bluesy, and were rounded out by the smooth bass lines of Tracy Pierce and the drum virtuosity of Ricky McKinnie, who is also blind. The band set a perfect blueprint, not to mention singing a few songs by themselves, one of them being an amazing a cappella number that I have already decided will be played at my funeral.
For the first part of the show, the Blind Boys would take their seats, often tapping their feet in unison. Their soul-lifting rendition of People Get Ready put anyone’s troubles at ease. Added to that was their slightly darker, yet creative arrangement of Amazing Grace (set to the tune and music of House of the Rising Sun), which was a riveting take on the classic standard. This incarnation of the Blind Boys (Carter, along with Ben Moore and Bishop Billy Bowers) took the main vocals and were show-stopping time and again, bringing even a lapsed Lutheran like myself to her feet. Ben Moore’s enthusiasm and joy showed through as he did a snazzy microphone dance while sitting in his chair, beaming. Bowers was an initially untapped resource of energy, taking his cues to stand up to sing his parts and sit down again while remaining relatively still for a large portion of the show. But eventually, he rose to his feet and belted out strong and loud, doing a dance that on some days, even I might not have the stamina to keep up with. Jimmy Carter continued to shine like our preacher, Granddad. I wish I could have transcribed every wise and funny word he said. He would later take to the aisles, singing and waving during the last song before the encore, as every person in the house rose to their feet in spirited clapping. At that moment, finding a non-smiling person in the crowd would have been like trying to find Waldo in a giant, billboard-sized Where’s Waldo painting – impossible.
As they left the stage before the encore, Carter hilariously jumped up and down, waving to the crowd as they exited. Fresh off receiving a 2007 Vision Award for their lifetime achievement in music, which was presented to them by Stevie Wonder, they would close out the evening with their encore of his song, Higher Ground, which brought the house down. It again utilized Jimmy Carter’s voice so well that even Prince and Little Richard would have conceded in a wail-off. On this night, I experienced my first meeting with the legends that are The Blind Boys of Alabama; secular Gospel and a sincere appreciation for great music intersected into one of the most memorable and uplifting shows I have ever seen.