The Famous Blind Boys of Alabama are known for their many accomplishments. Because there are so many, we’ve managed to narrow them down to ten, just to give you a taste on how great these incredible performers are.
1 The popular gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama began in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind.
2 The Blind Boys of Alabama won Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Grammys in 2009 and from The National Endowment for the Arts in 2010. The Gospel Music Hall of Fame inducted the group ion 2003.
3 The Blind Boys of Alabama first recorded song was the 1948 hit, “I Can See Everybody’s Mother But Mine” on the Veejay label.
4 In the 1960s, The Blind Boys of Alabama performed at benefits for Martin Luther King.
5 The Blind Boys of Alabama still tours after 70 years, but the members may change every generation or so.
6 The Blind Boys of Alabama have recorded with Bonnie Raitt, Randy Travis, k.d. lang, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Charlie Musselwhite, Susan Tedeschi, Solomon Burke, Marty Stuart and Asleep at the Wheel.
7 The Blind Boys of Alabama like country music. The 2010 album, “Take The High Road” on Saguaro Road Records, came from that shared appreciation.
8 The Blind Boys of Alabama had a holiday special televised on PBS in 2003.
9 The Blind Boys of Alabama played at the White House three times: in 1999, 2002 and 2010.
10 The Blind Boys of Alabama are in concert Nov. 20 at the MSU Riley Center for Performing Arts in Meridian. Tickets for the 6 p.m. show start at $36. For information, visit http://www.msurileycenter.com/theatre/season.cfm.
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.