By Ron Wynn
One of gospel’s finest groups and the son of a legendary blues musician will be appearing in Nashville to get April underway in fine fashion. They are both coming to the City Winery, with the Blind Boys of Alabama slated to appear there April 1 and Cedric Burnside on April 3.
Also known at other times as the Five Blind Boys of Alabama or Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys, this famed gospel ensemble’s origins date back to 1939, and they’ve maintained a loyalty and devotion to gospel and spiritual music while weathering the loss of some key members and overall changes in the industry and gospel world. The founding members were Clarence Fountain, George Scott, Velma Bozman Taylor, Johnny Fields, Olice Thomas and in the original six-member ensemble J.T. Hutton. All these originals are now deceased, but their successors have maintained their grand tradition. Some early influences on the group were the Golden Gate Quartet, The Blind Boys made their first recordings in 1948 on the Coleman label and their first national hit was “I Can See Everybody’s Mother but Mine” in 1949. Their success led to a series of recordings on various record labels, with perhaps their finest recordings coming in the ‘50s for Specialty Records.
The Five Blind Boys
They’ve won five Grammys and The group’s enjoyed sustained popularity and success since the ‘80s, thanks in part to their appearance in the 1983 Obie Award winning musical “The Gospel at Colonus.” They’ve toured around the globe and recorded with many rock and pop artists. That select list includes Prince, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Bonnie Raitt, Ben Harper, Bon Iver, and Amadou & Mariam. Their cover of the Tom Waits song “Way Down in the Hole” was used as the theme song for the first season of the HBO series “The Wire.” also been presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. They were endowed with a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1994 and were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2010. The group was also invited to the White House during the Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama administrations. They still maintain a hectic schedule of touring and recording.
Blues guitarist and vocalist Cedric Burnside is the son of the great R.L. Burnside, whose hill country sound blends blues, soul, and gospel in compelling fashion. Cedric won a Grammy in 2021 for “I Be Trying,” which was then billed as a daring and explosive statement that brings the hill country sound clearly into the 21st century. But Burnside has a new, arguably more ambitious release coming April 5. ‘Hill Country Love” is set for release on April 5th via Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group. “Hill Country Love” was recorded in an unconventional location – a former legal office in Ripley, Mississippi. This space, initially earmarked to be Burnside’s juke joint, created an authentic and resonant sound environment, capturing the essence of the album’s soulful and gritty aesthetic. Produced alongside Luther Dickinson, the album’s 14 tracks were completed in an extraordinary two-day session, highlighting the spontaneous and raw energy of Burnside’s music.
Both shows should be quite memorable. (Blind Boys of Alabama, Tuesday April 1, and Cedric Burnside, Thursday April 3, at City Winery, 609 Lafayette Street. Both start at 7:30. For ticket information contact the City Winery box office or website.)
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