The Blind Boys of Alabama to perform in Kingsport on Thursday September 26, 2013
Its the Gospel
Grammy, Dove winners bring their message, music to East Tenn.
The Blind Boys will perform in Kingsport on Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 7:30 pm at the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center, Kingsport, co-sponsored by Mary B. Martin School of the Arts and the City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts.
Tickets available at www.EngageKingsport.com or by phone at (423) 392-8414
Reserved seat tickets: Adults: $20, Senior (50+): $15, Student (w/ID): $5
The Blind Boys of Alabama started singing gospel in 1939 in Talladega. Seventy-four years later, the group is still raising roofs around the world with its legendary harmonies and gospel message covering the spectrum of musical styles.
We love what we do, original member Jimmy Carter said in an interview with the Sydney (Australia) Opera House. We have been singing gospel all these many years and we have not deviated from that and we dont plan to. Gospel has a message that we like to carry that to the people. Thats why we are going to continue to do it as long as we can
We try to make you feel something that youve never felt before We want those who come sad to leave happy and those who come happy to stay that way.
They are an excellent opening act for our season – the high energy, their reputation, says Mary B. Martin School of the Arts Director Anita DeAngelis. I think this will be one of the concerts that long-term that will be on our list of most memorable.
The Blind Boys of Alabama first got together at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939 and performed for nearly 40 years on the black gospel circuit, in churches, auditoriums and orchestra halls around the country. Since then, the group has had 30 albums, won five Grammys and four Dove Awards, has been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, performed for three presidents at the White House and has been featured on The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Today Show, CBS Saturday Morning, 60 Minutes and Austin City Limits. They have performed at Carnegie Hall and with other artists including Prince, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Allen Toussaint, Ben Harper, Lou Reed, Randy Travis and Jamey Johnson.
The Blind Boys are known the worldwide for their interpretations of traditional gospel favorites, such as Amazing Grace, I Shall Not Walk Alone and Wade in the Water, and less-traditional songs like Norman Greenbaums 1970 hit Spirit in the Sky and House of the Rising Sun. The New York Times said the gospel legends close harmonies leap heavenward.
Their roof- and spirit-raising live shows appeal to audiences of all cultures and musical interests, as evidenced by appearances at festivals and other events in Morocco, London, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Italy, France, Germany, Lebanon, Finland, Belgium, Scotland, Turkey and across the U.S.
The town and gown collaboration between Mary B. Martin School and the City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts is a win-win partnership, DeAngelis says. The City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts is doing some remarkable work. They are responsible for the Carousel Project in Kingsport, the public art program and concerts and performances throughout the year DeAngelis says. It would be difficult for our office to offer a concert in Kingsport without the assistance of another organization. The Office of Cultural Arts draws a different audience than we do. The Eastman employee center is larger than some of the venues we have in Johnson City.
The City of Kingsport is pleased to collaborate with the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts to present the concert, as well, says Office of Cultural Arts Director Bonnie Macdonald. The team at ETSU has really raised the bar for accessibility of arts in our region, Macdonald says.
The Blind Boys also have set the bar high – in the realm of gospel music. Reviews cite the groups spirit as well as close harmonies. The Blind Boys of Alabama did not preach (not a word from the Bible was quoted), lecture or divide, says reviewer Vern Hester in the Windy City Times online. What they did do was uplift, spiritualize and embrace everyone in the room with such sincerity, heart and soul that even the hardest heart would have to be won over. You can argue about faith, religion and varieties all you want but the Blind Boys demonstrated what it is.
For more information, visit the group’s website: www.blindboys.com
To purchase tickets to the concert, call 423-392-8414 or visit: www.EngageKingsport.com.
For information on the City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts visit: www.EngageKingsport.com,
-Like Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts on Facebook and follow KptCulturalArts on Twitter.
For information about the ETSU Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, call 423-439-TKTS (8587) or visit www.etsu.edu/martin -Like ETSU Mary B. Martin School of the Arts on Facebook and follow it on Twitter at TheArtsAtETSU.
