The Blind Boys of Alabama must be doing something right. The veteran gospel act, which formed in 1939, somehow keeps on rolling.
“It’s been a long time since this all started but we continue on since we have always been good at communicating,” vocalist Jimmy Carter said during a telephone interview from Des Moines, Iowa. “We talk things out. If something is bothering one of us, we talk about whatever we need to talk about. We also love what we do. We love singing gospel songs. That keeps us motivated.”
There’s another important element that keeps the Blind Boys of Alabama intact and relevant: they take chances. Its latest walk on the sonic high wire is working with celebrated indie rock artist Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame.
Vernon produced “I’ll Find A Way,” which is released September 30. The uplifting album includes appearances by singers Patty Griffin and Sam Amidon and Vernon.
“It was a joy working on the album with Justin,” Carter said. “We knew nothing about him. We didn’t know he was (an alternative artist). When we were told about his interest in working with us, we found out about him and we were very excited. We trusted him and it worked out since he chose great material and he had some great soul food for us. It was well worth it for us to travel to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to work with Justin.
It’s not the first time that the Blind Boys, who will perform Friday and Saturday at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, have worked with a celebrated member of the rock community. The five-time Grammy Award-winning group has collaborated with musicians such as Lou Reed, Ben Harper and Willie Nelson.
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article courtesy of TheBelleReport.net
Blind Boys Of Alabama Bring Inspirational Gospel Music To Durham was originally published on praisecleveland.com
