WOMAD

The Blind Boys Of Alabama

From United States

When the Blind Boys of Alabama first formed as a gospel quartet more than 60 (yes, 60!) years ago, the planet was deep in the throes of the Second World War and there was still a good decade before Elvis Aaron Presley would first shake his hips at teenage America. The Blind Boys have been going strong ever since that first rehearsal in 1944, declining - unlike their gospel-singing contemporary Sam Cooke - the riches of a pop or soul career in order to carry out the Lord's work. They remain an astonishing live presence and have undergone a welcome renaissance in recent years thanks to the efforts of our sister organisation, Real World Records. But, no matter how much praise and adulation is pushed their way, the Boys are unstinting when it comes to their inspiration. "As long as God kept me with bread and some money in my pocket," explains lead singer Clarence Fountain, "I didn't want to be rich. Whatever you bargain with the Devil, he'll come and get you sooner or later, don't worry…"