LEGENDARY BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA ANNOUNCE NATIONWIDE HOLIDAY TOUR AND CHRISTMAS WEEK PERFORMANCE ON “THE TONIGHT SHOW”

ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME HOSTS THE BLIND BOYS, ARETHA FRANKLIN, ELVIS COSTELLO, SOLOMON BURKE AND OTHERS IN A TRIBUE TO SAM COOKE

The Blind Boys of Alabama, winners of an impressive four Grammy Awards in the past four years, will be performing their soulful family Christmas tour “Go Tell It On The Mountain” all over the country again this year. They will take their annual holiday show to major cities around the country including Cleveland, San Francisco, Fort Worth, Austin, and end at Los Angeles' prestigious Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The Blind Boys have been keeping the spirit and energy of pure soul gospel music alive since 1939, when the group formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind. In addition to the Grammy wins, the group also performed on this year's Grammy telecast and in recent years have been inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame, been featured with Beyonce and Cuba Gooding Jr. in “The Fighting Temptations” movie, and recorded with Ben Harper, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Randy Travis, Jars of Clay, and Susan Tedeschi.

The upcoming tour is named after the Blind Boys first-ever (and Grammy Award-winning) holiday album GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN, first released in 2003 (and re-released last year with a bonus track). The "rousing album with a staggering guest line-up" (Vanity Fair) features extraordinary guest vocalists Tom Waits, Chrissie Hynde, Aaron Neville, Shelby Lynne, Me’Shell N’degeOcello, Michael Franti (Spearhead) and Les McCann, as well as Solomon Burke, Mavis Staples and George Clinton. A percentage of the royalties from album sales benefit the American Diabetes Association.

While preparing for the holiday tour, the Blind Boys took time out to perform at a heavenly tribute to Sam Cooke at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week. Kicking off the performance with “This Little Light of Mine,” the Blind Boys joined Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, The Dixie Hummingbirds, Solomon Burke and others on the bill.

Aug. 2, 2005

THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA:

Grammy winning legends of American Music to release touching new video tribute to founding member George Scott

Latest album ‘ATOM BOMB’ on Real World Records continues to garner rave reviews around the world

Blind Boys are "stoked" with their appearance in Surfing Magazine

Summer touring schedule heats up with Susan Tedeschi in August

"Here’s a recommendation you don’t read very often: this is their best album in 65 years." - MOJO

"The Blind Boys of Alabama have never been hipper…" - PARADE

"Fountain, Carter, and Scott…infuse their material with incredible feeling, fervor and soul." -NO DEPRESSION

The multi-Grammy winning soul gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama have just released a video of the spiritually inspired rock classic, "Spirit in the Sky, the hit single from their latest release ‘ATOM BOMB’. The sharp, yet ethereal clip, which includes vintage stills and classic video clips of the band from their early days, is a fitting farewell to one of their founding members, the late George Scott, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 75.

On the heels of "career best" reviews in Rolling Stone, Mojo, Blues Revue, and others for ‘ATOM BOMB’ (Real World Records), The Blind Boys of Alabama are also interviewed in the September issue of Surfing magazine (copy follows) and will embark on a late summer/early fall tour with blues guitarist and singer/songwriter Susan Tedeschi. The Blind Boys and Tedeschi have also recently teamed up in the studio to record a track for Tedeschi’s upcoming album, ‘HOPE AND DESIRE’, to be released this fall on Verve Forecast.

February 28, 2005

THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA:
REAL WORLD RECORDS TO RELEASE 'ATOM BOMB' ON MARCH 15

FOUR-TIME GRAMMY WINNERS CONTINUE TO INSPIRE WITH SOUL STIRRING NEW ALBUM

SPECIAL GUESTS INCLUDE LOS LOBOS GUITARIST DAVID HIDALGO, BILLY PRESTON, CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE, AND GIFT OF GAB FROM BLACKALICIOUS

After performing together for over six decades, The Blind Boys of Alabama have enjoyed one of the more striking comebacks in recent memory. Since signing with Peter Gabriel's Real World Records label in 2001, their last four albums have earned these hipster septuagenarians the best reviews and record sales of their career, and introduced them to a completely new, contemporary audience. Those albums have also won the Grammy in the Best Traditional Soul Gospel category for four consecutive years (the latest being their collaboration CD with Ben Harper, There Will Be A Light). The Blind Boys continue to expand the very definitions of gospel and soul with 'Atom Bomb,' (Real World, March 15), their most intimate, yet modern, album to date.

'Atom Bomb' features 10 new tracks - a mix of classic gospel tunes and soulful interpretations of secular songs - pairing the Blind Boys with some of the most happening musicians around. The album includes an exuberant version of the Fatboy Slim/Macy Gray tune "Demons" featuring Gift of Gab from Blackalicious, and a joyous rendition of Blind Faith's gem "Presence of the Lord" with the legendary Billy Preston on Hammond B3. The group also recasts Norman Greenbaum's gospel-rock classic "Spirit in the Sky" as a raw Detroit-style boogie, propelled by Los Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo and blues harp icon Charlie Musselwhite.

One of the old time gospel tunes on 'Atom Bomb' - "Old Blind Barnabus" - has its origins in the sessions for the Blind Boys' last Real World release, 2003's 'Go Tell It On The Mountain.' Blind Boys collaborator Tom Waits suggested that the band record the song, and it's given new life on 'Atom Bomb' along with the title track, a cover of a 1950 Soul Stirrers' gem that laments society's focus on the bomb instead of salvation. As with their previous three Real World releases, 'Atom Bomb' was recorded at Capitol's historic Studio in Los Angeles, with John Chelew producing.

In addition to their albums for Real World, the Blind Boys have also recorded with many artists in recent years including Lou Reed, Ibrahim Ferrer and Solomon Burke. Their collaboration with Ben Harper produced 2004's "There Will Be A Light," which saw the Blind Boys breaking the Billboard Top 100 for the first time in their 60 year history, and scoring nominations for three Grammys this year.

The Blind Boys of Alabama will tour extensively in 2005. They'll make their first-ever appearance at the South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas this year.