Ol’ Man River

О событии

The vocal ensemble 'The Blind Boys of Alabama' present the most famous hits out of Gospel, Soul and Folkmusic from the river Mississippi.

Before New Orleans was submerged in the floods of the ocean and river, the Mississippi and its delta were the highlight of musical scenery. The yearnings of the southern black people are mirrored in 'Old Man River'. 'The Blind Boys of Alabama', whose first performance goes back as far as the nineteen forties, create a memorial in honour of the city on the Mississippi in their new programme 'Down in New Orleans'. A legendary evening is to be expected.

'The Blind Boys of Alabama' have spread the spirit and energy of pure soul gospel music for over sixty years, ever since the first version of the group formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. Today, founding members Clarence Fountain and Jimmy Carter are joined by more recent arrivals Bishop Billy Bowers, Joey Williams, Ricky McKinnie, Bobby Butler, and Tracy Pierce on a mission to expand the audience for traditional soul‐gospel singing while incorporating contemporary songs and innovative arrangements into their hallowed style.

The group toiled for more than forty years on the traditional gospel circuit. But in 1983, their career reached a turning point with their crucial role in The Gospel at Colonus, the smash hit musical drama created by Bob Telson and Lee Breuer. This Obie Award‐winning Off‐Broadway and Broadway success, coupled with their appearance on two original soundtrack albums (in 1984 and 1988), brought the Blind Boys' timeless sound to an enthusiastic new audience.

The 1992 album Deep River %u2013 featuring a transcendent version of Bob Dylan's 'I Believe In You' %u2013 earned the Blind Boys their first Grammy Award nomination. The album Spirit of the Century, a set of hot‐wired traditional gospel and carefully chosen contemporary songs that became the group's best‐selling album to date, won the 2001 Gramm Award for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album.

In the last five years the Blind Boys covered songs by composers like Tom Waits or Prince and participated in shows and recordings of many famous artists (e.g. Peter Gabriel or Ben Harper).