DESCRIPTION:
Jimmy Carter, vocals
Ricky McKinnie, vocals
Ben Moore, vocals
Peter Levin, organ & keys
Joey Williams, guitar/vocals
Ben Odom , bass/vocals
Austin Moore, drums

Performing date: Wednesday, June 26

On Wednesday 26th June JazzAscona suggests a very prestigious date with the (probably) most famous gospel group in the world. The Blind Boys of Alabama are true living legends of gospel music. Celebrated by The National Endowment for the Arts with Lifetime Achievement Awards, as well as inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, they sung for two presidents in the White House and won six Grammy® Awards. They have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that spans over 70 years and shows no signs of flagging. The Blind Boys have earned praise for their remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favourites to contemporary spiritual material by acclaimed songwriters such as Curtis Mayfield, Ben Harper, Eric Clapton, Prince and Tom Waits. Their live performances are not only musical events but cultural experiences, that have been followed by millions on "The Tonight Show", "Late Night with David Letterman", the Grammy Awards telecast and "60 Minutes".

The Blind Boys of Alabama band was formed in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind thanks to Clarence Fountain, Jimmy Carter, George Scott, Velma Bozman Traylor, Johnny Fields, Olice Thomas and J. T. Hutton. The group toiled for nearly 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. In the 1960′s, they joined the Civil Rights movement, performing at benefits for Dr. Martin Luther King. 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 1990s they received two Grammy nominations (6 times winners from 2002 to 2009) and performed at the White House. 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.

- See more at: http://www.jazzascona.ch/index.php/en/program/bands-artists/480-the-blind-boys-of-alabama-june-26-ascona-special-eng#sthash.zbql8yL3.dpuf

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Video Realised by the students of CISA
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