This group of blind, African American, roof-raising gospel singers toured the South during the Jim Crow era, played at benefits for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and sung for three different presidents in the White House. Their 75 year career has led to five Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Grammy and an induction in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Their songs were the soundtrack of the Civil Rights Movement and they have taken their beautiful gospel tradition to almost every continent.
They are recognized around the world as both living legends and modern-day innovators. The Blind Boys are not just gospel singers borrowing from old traditions; they helped to define those traditions in the 20th century and almost single-handedly created a new gospel sound for the 21st. Since the original members first sang together as kids at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in late 1930s (including Jimmy Carter, who leads the group today), the band has persevered to become one of the most recognized and decorated roots music groups in the world.
Opening for The Blind Boys of Alabama is gospel recording artist Liz Vice, who began her career singing in small, laid back church services, soloing in front of nearly 400 parishioners. She hasn't stopped singing since. Vice released her breakout album, There's A Light, in 2015.
MUSIC LINKS, NEWS, REVIEWS, & MORE: Blind Boys Website, Blind Boys Facebook, Blind Boys Wikipedia, @blindboys, Blind Boys Instagram, Liz Vice Website, Liz Vice Facebook, @LizViceOFFICIAL
If you like Blind Boys of Alabama with Liz Vice, you may also enjoy Rise Up and Sing! featuring The Heritage Blues Quintet and Ruthie Foster and King Sunny Ade and His African Beats
BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA VIDEOS
LIZ VICE VIDEOS
WUD Performing Arts Committee
performingarts@union.wisc.edu
The Lower 5th shares their unique blend of Americana, which they simply call "Midwestern Soul."
We welcome all styles of music, comedy, spoken word, poetry, and more to take the stage every Wednesday on the Terrace.
Bluegrass-flavored blues rock'n'roll from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Songs of love, loss, and the intersection of the two.
This is a past event and has been archived for reference.