THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA:

• Jimmy Carter – vocals
• Bishop Billy Bowers – vocals
• Ben Moore – vocals
• Eric (Ricky) McKinnie -drums
• Joey Williams – lead guitar
• Caleb (Bobby) Butler – rhythm guitar
• Tracy Pierce - bass

The Blind Boys of Alabama are recognized worldwide as living
legends of gospel music. Celebrated by The National Endowment for the
Arts with a Lifetime Achievement Award, inducted into the Gospel
Music Hall of Fame, and winners of four consecutive Grammy® Awards,
they have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that
spans over 60 years and shows no signs of diminishing. Longevity and
major awards aside, The Blind Boys have earned praise for their
remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favorites to contemporary spiritual material by acclaimed songwriters such as Curtis Mayfield, Ben Harper, Eric Clapton, Prince and Tom Waits. Their performances have been experienced by millions on The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, the Grammy® Awards telecast, 60 Minutes, and on their own holiday PBS Special.

The Blind Boys' live shows are roof- raising musical events that
appeal to audiences of all cultures, as evidenced by an international
itinerary that has taken them to virtually every continent.

The Blind Boys of Alabama formed at the Alabama Institute for the
Negro Blind in 1939. The group toiled for almost 40 years almost
exclusively on the black gospel circuit, playing in churches,
auditoriums, and even stadiums across the country.

Their recorded output, reaching back to 1948 with their hit “I Can See Everybody’s Mother But Mine” on the Veejay label, is widely recognized as being influential for many gospel, R&B and rock ‘n’ roll artists.

The Blind Boys had their own chance to "cross over" to popular music in the
1950's, along with their gospel friend and contemporary Sam Cooke,
but stayed true to their calling.

In the 1960's, they joined the Civil Rights movement, performing at benefits for Dr. Martin Luther King. They toiled in the vineyards all through the 1970's as the world of popular music began to pass them by. But in 1983, their career reached a turning point with their crucial role in the smash hit and Obie Award-winning play "The Gospel at Colonus," which brought the Blind Boys timeless sound to an enthusiastic new
audience.

In the 1990's they received two Grammy nominations and
performed at the White House. In recent years the Blind Boys’
musical brethren have paid homage to their legacy and their continued
relevance by asking them to contribute and collaborate on new
projects. The Blind Boys have appeared on recordings with Bonnie
Raitt, Randy Travis, k.d. lang, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Charlie
Musselwhite, Susan Tedeschi, Solomon Burke, Marty Stuart, Asleep at
the Wheel and many others.

The Blind Boys of Alabama have profoundly influenced an entire generation (or two) of gospel, soul, R&B and rock musicians and are still blazing trails
after all these years.

As they’ve reached new levels of respect, acclaim, and commercial
success, the Blind Boys of Alabama have maintained their mission to
carry their message in new and inspiring ways. For their latest
album ‘Down In New Orleans,’ The Blind Boys of Alabama recorded in
the Crescent City for the first time in their long history.

Recording for the first time for the Time/Life label, the group invited some of the city’s most revered musicians to participate in the historic
session, including Rock & Roll Hall of Fame pianist Allen Toussaint,
the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and the horn-heavy Hot 8
Brass Band, one of the city’s most vital young acts. Like New Orleans itself, the album is a joyful, funk-filled effort that focuses on the connection between southern gospel and New Orleans R&B, while also trying to lend a helping hand, or in this case a helping voice: “Like that Mahalia Jackson song tells us,” says Blind Boy singer Jimmy Cater, referring to one of the tunes from the new CD that was originally recorded by the queen of New Orleans gospel, “if we could help somebody in New Orleans – help them by singing a song, help them by recording this album – then we will feel blessed.”