A legendary group in its own time, the Blind Boys of Alabama are a globetrotting gospel ensemble that has won numerous awards, from Grammys and lifetime achievement recognition to an Obie and induction into the Gospel Hall of Fame. But back in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega, Al., the idea of being career musicians was a notion that was just starting to simmer in the minds of a few young boys.
“Every blind child that wanted an education came to that school from all parts of the state,” says group leader and last active founding member Jimmy Carter, speaking from his home in Birmingham. “We started out singing in the mixed choir and we found out that three or four of us could really sing together. We decided to see if we could make a living singing music on the road.”
The powers that be at the school had a different idea. “They felt that it would interfere with our school activities,” says Carter. “So when people wanted us to sing, we had to sneak off campus and back on.” (Getting to their shows, however, posed no problem for the ambitious youngsters, who made their way to and from their gigs on their own. “We knew every inch of Talladega,” says Carter of their time sneaking out to perform. “We didn’t need anyone to take us around.”)
The risk of punishment turned out to be well worth the reward, as the group was regularly invited to sing under the name the Hackerland Jubilee Singers for a growing circle of fans. The Blind Boys of Alabama moniker came about when a singing contest emcee, wanting to hype up the competition between two blind groups, declared that it was the battle of the Blind Boys of Mississippi, an already established gospel group, against the Blind Boys of Alabama. The name stuck.
The Blind Boys continued to perform and expand their geographic range, and in 1948 they recorded their first of many hit records, the single “I Can See Everybody’s Mother But Mine.” With a hit came more opportunities, and as the momentum of the Blind Boys grew, they took their show to churches and auditoriums around the country.
In the mid 1950s, when gospel acts like Sam Cooke and Ray Charles were being enticed to cross over from gospel into popular music, the Blind Boys stayed true to their roots. “We were all brought up in a Christian environment, and we said that no matter what, we weren’t going to deviate from gospel,” says Carter. “And as far as I’m concerned, we’re going to be true to that until we retire.”
Carter explains that over the years the Blind Boys have had ample opportunity to move into the mainstream music world. “When Sam Cooke crossed over, the Blind Boys were in the same studio at the same time,” he says. “They made Sam the offer and they made the Blind Boys the same offer. We declined.”
Carter makes a point of clarifying, however, that just because an artist takes a pop music route doesn’t mean he or she has left the church. “A lot of people cross over, but that don’t mean they left their roots,” he says. “And Sam never left the church.”
‘We Want To Catch Fire’
Ironically, the Blind Boys have been widely embraced into the mainstream and have worked with a diverse roster of some of the biggest names in popular music, among them Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Bonnie Raitt, Peter Gabriel and Ben Harper, to name just a few.
One of the things that makes the Blind Boys so popular with mainstream audiences is the fact that they are able to glean from pop music songs that fit their gospel message. Over the years they’ve pulled songs from just about every genre of music, always choosing material that suits their commitment to their roots. “No matter who we collaborated with, they had to have material that was in a gospel feel,” says Carter. “If we couldn’t put a gospel feel to it, we didn’t do it.”
The overall message that the Blind Boys hope audiences go away with is one of hope, faith and love. “When I walk out on that stage, I tell the people, ‘If we haven’t touched you in some kind of way, then we have failed,’” says Carter, explaining that they love when a crowd gets involved in what they’re doing onstage. “We want to sing to a noisy crowd, because gospel is good news,” he says excitedly. “We want to catch fire up there, and for the audience to catch fire too.”
Carter knows that the Blind Boys have the power to transform hearts and minds, and he makes a point of sending Santa Cruz an advance message: “Tell the folks in Santa Cruz that the Blind Boys are on their way,” he says. “And when we leave, Santa Cruz will never be the same. And that’s the truth.”
THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA
Saturday, Dec. 18, 8pm
Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz
Tickets are $25 general/$40 gold circle
831.423.8209 or www.riotheatre.com
