Blind Boys of Alabama perform in the Radio Heartland studio
by Mike Pengra
October 25, 2017
What a thrill. I mean … these guys have been singing together for more than seven decades! From their roots as young singers at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind to their many appearances at the White House, the Blind Boys of Alabama are still keeping the gospel flame alive. Almost Home is the group's 71st record in their history, and it contains songs penned for them by such writers as Phil Cook, Valerie June, John Leventhal, Marc Cohn and more. And the lyrics were based on autobiographical interviews with the Blind Boys' two surviving original members, Clarence Fountain and Jimmy Carter.
The Blind Boys of Alabama took a little time to bring their band into the Radio Heartland studios to talk about the new album and to perform some of this new material. The speaking voices you'll hear in the interview are leader Jimmy Carter, musical director Joey Williams and singer Ricky McKinnie.
Songs Performed
"God Knows Everything"
"I Can See"
"Amazing Grace"
The first two songs are from the Blind Boys of Alabama's 2017 album, Almost Home, distributed exclusively on Amazon. The third song is traditional.
Singers
Jimmy Carter
Ricky McKinnie
Paul Beasley
Joey Williams
Hosted by Mike Pengra
Engineered by Michael DeMark
Produced by Derrick Stevens
Visuals by Evan Frost
Resources
The Blind Boys of Alabama - official site
