DURANGO, Colo. – The Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College welcomes the Blind Boys of Alabama, bringing a special holiday show, “Talkin’ Christmas” to the stage on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
The Blind Boys of Alabama have the rare distinction of being recognized world-wide as both living legends and modern-day innovators. Not just gospel singers borrowing from old traditions, the group helped define those traditions in the 20th century and almost single-handedly created a new gospel sound for the 21st century.
Since the original members first sang together as children at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in the late 1930s (including Jimmy Carter, who leads the group today), the band has persevered through the decades to become one of the most recognized and decorated roots music groups in the world.
“We had no idea when we started that we would make it this far,” noted band leader Jimmy Carter in a press release. “The secret to our longevity is, we love what we do. And when you love what you do, that keeps you motivated. That keeps you alive.”
The Blind Boys of Alabama has lived American history, touring throughout the South during the Jim Crow era of the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1960s, the group sang at benefits for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and became part of the soundtrack to the Civil Rights movement. And The Blind Boys witnessed a resurgence of gospel music in the 1980s, tapped for a starring role in the Obie Award-winning musical The Gospel at Colonus.
The group’s most recent album, Talkin’ Christmas!, a collaboration with Taj Mahal, continues the band’s streak of creating original and interesting work. It includes new versions of Christmas standards, covers of hidden gospel gems, and features seven new holiday songs – six of which are the first Christmas songs ever penned by the Blind Boys.
Five-time Grammy Award winner (including a Lifetime Achievement Award), the Blind Boys of Alabama has been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and performed at the White House for three different presidents. The live shows continue to be roof-raising musical events enjoyed by audiences of all cultures.
View a variety of videos from the Blind Boys of Alabama at http://www.blindboys.com/videos.
Tickets for the Blind Boys of Alabama ($39/$46) are available on-line at www.durangoconcerts.com or call 970.247.7657, or visit the Ticket Office inside the Durango Welcome Center at 8th St. and Main Ave., Downtown Durango. All sales final.
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary Season in 2016-2017, the Community Concert Hall is a not-for-profit, multi-use performance venue located on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Its ability to bring a diverse spectrum of shows to Southwest Colorado is made possible through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, and through financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.
For additional information contact:
Charles Leslie, Director, Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College,
970.247.7468 or [email protected]
