The 5 Blind Boys of Alabama in The Chariot Forum

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The 5 Blind Boys of Alabama

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Tom 1960

The 5 Blind Boys of Alabama

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6152

May 18 04 12:27 AM

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Although they are considered to be more gospel than blues, I've been curious about there music for some time. Having seen them on a news program here in the States recently made me think that I should purchase some of there music. Any thoughts about these guys and recommendations?

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Muddylives

#1

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 5140

May 18 04 12:51 AM

The 5 Blind Boys of Alabama have been around for a long time. The great common denominator is the tremendous lead vocals of Clarence Fountain. Fountain today may not be quite what he was in the 50s and 60s. But his voice can still move mountains.

Their discography is large and rich. Not everything is available on CD, but a lot is.

Many people here will probably recommend their more recent recordings on Real World such as "Spirit of the Century" and "Higher Ground." Those albums are a deliberate attempt to appeal to blues fans, and even include guest artists like Charlie Musselwhite and John Hammond.

Those recent recordings are quite good, if a little inconsistent. I would highly recommend their seminal recordings on the Speciality label from the 1950s. The cream of those recordings is on a CD from Fantasy that combines the LPs "Oh Lord-Stand By Me" and "Marching Up to Zion." Another disc, "The Sermon," contains previously unreleased Specialty material, and is also quite good. A while back Flyright made available their excellent earliest recordings from 1948-1951. But I believe that disc is long out of print.

user posted image

Collectables and Music Club have made available their Vee Jay and Hob recordings. Some of those sides are tremendous, but the discs are less consistent. The problem is that Clarence Fountain left the group briefly for a solo career and doesn't sing on most tracks.

If this appeals to you, I would also highly recommend exploring the other great gospel quartets, including the Soul Stirrers, the Spirit of Memphis, the Sensational Nightingales, the Swan Silvertones, the Blind Boys of Mississippi, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Pilgrim Travelers, the Violinaires, the Fairfield Four, the Radio Four...

This is very deep music, and only one step from the blues.

Muddy

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john4y

#2

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 11465

May 18 04 2:31 AM

They are one helluva great gospel group. They used to always come to Boston back in the late fifties on into the sixties. My mother and father were absolutely CRAZY about these guys. I can remember that most of their concerts were held at the old Boston Techniclal High School auditorium which also hosted many other great gospel singers. When they were going to be in town, colored posters would spring up all over Roxbury. Oh yes, we had many of their LPs around our house. If you like good old time gospel music, I would highly recommend these fellows.

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bluesguy

#3

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6674

May 18 04 2:57 AM

QUOTE (Muddy Lives @ May 17 2004, 06:51 PM)

Many people here will probably recommend their more recent recordings on Real World such as "Spirit of the Century" and "Higher Ground." Those albums are a deliberate attempt to appeal to blues fans, and even include guest artists like Charlie Musselwhite and John Hammond.

I would certainly would recommend "Spirit of the Century" and "Higher Ground." They have some really excellent gospel songs on these CDs.

David Tannen
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Living in St. Paul MN

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Goldilox3

#4

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 2110

May 18 04 6:38 AM

I don't havemuch to add except to throw another vote in for Spirit of the Century, an excellent album.

New solo EP available now completely free of charge - just click here!

'served raw' by Stafford blues band 44 pistol was awarded 8/10 by Blues in Britain. Why not buy it? You know you want to....

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Taff

#5

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 4578

May 18 04 10:54 PM

I have the two cd's mentioned above, and was knocked out by Delta Big Four from Charlie Patton's Complete recordings, disc E ( on J.S.P. ) are there any cd's on their own? Thanks in advance

One of these mornings baby, an' it won't be long, I'm gonna catch the first thing smokin' and down the road I'm goin'

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Muddylives

#6

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 5140

May 19 04 12:17 AM

QUOTE (Taffman @ May 18 2004, 10:54 PM)

I have the two cd's mentioned above, and was knocked out by Delta Big Four from Charlie Patton's Complete recordings, disc E ( on J.S.P. ) are there any cd's on their own?� Thanks in advance��

Taffman: On that subject, there is bad news and good news. (a variant on the gospel theme of bad times and good news).

The bad news is that, as far as I know, those are the only known recordings of the Delta Big Four. (One of the members, Bill Mosley, also made a serious of sermon/song recordings as the Reverend W.M. Mosely. But those are musically quite different.)

The good news is that, if you like that early style of down home acapella quartet singing, there are a lot more great recordings in that genre. In fact, the Delta Big Four were a relatively minor group. Look for the Heavenly Gospel Singers, the Silver Leaf Quartet, and the numerous Jefferson County quartets such as the Famous Blue Jays, the Birmingham Jubilee Quartet, the Bessemer Sunset Four, the Dunham Jubilee Singers, and (if you can find it) the Kings of Harmony.

The only label that documents these groups comprehensively is Document, although that can be an expensive and not completely satisfying way to acquire this music for non-fanatics. If you can find it, I highly recommend a compilation on Rounder records called "A Warrior on the Battlefield: Acapella Trail Blazers: 1920s-1940s."

user posted image

The French have also released a number of great collections of this music. There was a great website where a good amount of this stuff could be downloaded for free. But lately I don't think that it is working:

http://www.dovesong.com/MP3/MP3.asp

Be sure and pick up the new Columbia Legacy CD of the Reverend J.M. Gates, far and away the most popular singing preacher. With his congregation, Gates mines some of the same bluesy territory as the Delta Big Four, and with more overt intensity than most of the quartets.

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Tom 1960

#7

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6152

Feb 27 06 12:50 AM

I heard there music today featured on a network morning news program. The song performed during the news piece was 'Amazing Grace'. Simply great stuff. I thought it might be appropriate to revive this topic since we now have a gospel section and some newer contributers since this topic was originally introduced. Have add it if you like.

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beerbellyblues

#8

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Posts: 2368

Feb 27 06 2:49 PM

I saw their modern day grouping when I saw Peter Gabriel a few years ago.... best have been one of the best support acts I've ever seen!!! Is it Amazing Grace they do to Dylan's Blowin' In the Wind?

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Bernd

#9

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 900

Feb 27 06 4:08 PM

No, Beerbellyblues, it's "House of the Rising Sun".

Being a listener of gospel quartet music for a long time, I'm not pleased about this commercial version of "Amazing Grace" by the Alabama Blind Boys. It was more recorded for the public as by the need of the Alabamas, I think. I like the "Spirit of The Century" album, too, but prefere songs like "No More", "Run On For A Long Time", "Good Religion", "Soldier", "Nobody's Fault", and "The Last Time".
Just my personal opinion.

Regards
Bernd

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sonhenry

#10

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 2453

Feb 27 06 5:33 PM

Not sure what you mean about why they recorded the version of Amazng Grace that they did, I actually like it and if it brings more people in contact with their music, alls the better....

What about the record they did with Ben Harper, y'all like that one? I was underwhelmed frankly, too much ben, not enough of the blind boys.

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Bernd

#11

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 900

Feb 27 06 5:58 PM

That's in my personal opinion a record I'm not listening oftentimes. "Atom Bomb" - again my very personal opinion - is better than "There Will Be A Light", "Higher Ground" and "Go Tell It On The Mountain". The CD "Deep River" recorded in 1992 is a good one but I also like listening to old Alabama's stuff of the fifties and sixties.

There's another group of Blind Boys from Mississippi who had been much more famous in the fifties for their hous wrecking. Their lead singer Archie Brownlee was one of the best singers within this period. They also are still on the road. Jimmy Carter who now is singing with the Alabamas first started with the Mississippis around 1960 and stayed with them until the early eighties before he joined Clarence Fountain's Blind Boys.

Bernd

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angmack

#12

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Posts: 1698

Feb 27 06 6:15 PM

That's who my church plays when it's offering time.

angmack

P.s. I wonder if anyone's ever done a study on music played in relation to offerings coming in..........

Hey! We are building a new building.....

angmack

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bentheharpman

#13

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 1365

Feb 27 06 8:53 PM

Didn't they do an album with Robert Randolph? I think I have a few tracks from it. Anyway, Robert's lap steel coupled with their voices give me chills.

Leave your ego, play the music, love the people.
---Luther Allison

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Intheway

#14

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Posts: 57

Feb 27 06 9:28 PM

I would vote in favor of the vintage stuff, but the Real World CDs are intentionally more accessible.

Which ever way you go, however, it is MANDATORY to see them perform live, and as soon as possible. They've been constantly on the road for over 50 years, so there's a good chance that if you stand still for ten minutes they'll be somewhere near you soon.

Even with the loss last year of George Scott, they do one of the most dynamic and thrilling shows I've seen. When Jimmy Carter starts running the aisles, waving his mic, jumping as if he was on a pogo stick, it just raises the roof.

Fred

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Olden Rong

#15

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Posts: 1819

Feb 27 06 9:35 PM

I wanted to see them once and called for advanced tickets when I was told that they canceled. I asker why and was told they had a car accident. I said, "Iguess that happens alot!"

Ed V - http://www.edvadasblues.com/

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Bernd

#16

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 900

Feb 27 06 11:04 PM

Yes, Intheway,

Jimmy Carter is the one! He's picking up the songs and giving them his own inspirations, drive and force. Jimmy is bringing the Mississippi Blind Boys' sound into the Alabamas. With his expressive tenor voice he resembles a bit to Archie Brownlee of the Mississippis. Jimmy can take a song and enhancing its message. He's able to pick up a song up and take it to a higher level. I saw them three times and enjoyed them. "Atom Bomb" really is a good album. The song itself was first recorded by the Pilgrim Travelers and the Soul Stirrers around 1950.

Bernd

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Bottleneck John

#17

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 382

Feb 28 06 8:52 AM

Their rendition of the song "I shall not walk alone" must be one of the strongest musical pieces ever recorded(imho)..!!!! Just piano and voices..
I listen to it everyday and it makes me feel really good... I love it!!!!

Keep resonatin' - Bottleneck John

Acoustic Blues & Spirituals

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Bernd

#18

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 900

Feb 28 06 11:37 AM

John, "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded in 1963 and it's Clarence Fountain who's singing lead. They released it on VeeJay. Besides Fountain the other members had been George Scott, Louis Dicks, Jimmy Evans, Olice Thomas, and Johnny Fields. Scott played guitar. Thomas later joined the Mississippi Blind Boys and toured with them Germany in the late 90's.

The song is composed by Rodgers and Hammerstein but I don't neither know if it's a song out of a musical nor what musical it is.

Bernd