KCRW Blind Boys of Alabama Interview

Blind Boys Of Alabama 2009-04-01 KCRW Radio Santa Monica, CA
Downloaded from: Archive.org
Usage: Public Domain
Photo: KCRW

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Blind Boys of Alabama live on casey our w terrific.
So Jimmy, yes, sir, thank you for us coming down.
Sound great?

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Well, you know we've been here many times, but we
always enjoyed coming. And you the folk kill so nice
to us and make us feel at home, so we
don't mind coming.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Good. You got friends here. Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
And all the things I want to say is you
know my voice is you know when you when you
get me up this other you know, you gotta give
you a voice time to wake up. But it's waking
up now, so.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Everything's all right, waking us all of so, so talk
to me a little bit.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Now.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
The Blind Boys have been together since nineteen thirty nine,
so that's about seven.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
That means, that means, that means kind of makes something
a little clear. The Blind Boys started singing in school
in thirty nine. Okay, now, they didn't hit the road
until nineteen forty four. Oh so we met up this
school for the Blind and in nineteen thirty nine and

(01:11):
started singing together. And our iral quartet was the Golden
Gate Quartet, And so we decided that if they could
do it professionally, we could too. So nineteen forty four
June the tenth, the Blind Boys started out.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
That's the history. You know, I could hardly comprehend seven decades.
But how do you do it? After all this time?
Is it still? I mean? Would this ever ever get old?
For you? Not for me?

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Because you know people have asked me that many many times,
and I answer them this way. I said, you know,
when you love what you do, when you when you
love what you do, that state that keeps you motivated,
you know. And this these these these young men, they're
just like family, do me. They stand behind me in
a way. I want to go there right there, and

(02:09):
you know I love them all. We have all disagreements,
of course, but that that's that that's healthy, you know.
So you know, but and in the end, when the
chips are down, we are together.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
Well, we're honored to have you here this morning onk CRW. Now,
you were given a Lifetime Achievement award recently with the Grammys.
That must have been quite an honor.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Well, there's been a long time coming, but better late
than know. We got a lifetime achieving the war. Plus
we want another Grammy too, So it's five Grammars now,
all right, and plus a lifetime achieving the award. So
what's next we don't know.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Well, what's next is this new album which is called
Live in New Orleans. Tell us about this? Why why
New Orleans also have a DVD?

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (03:01):
Did you have guests on the on the live performance?

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, well we had, we had guests. Uh, these these
these these these these sided guys I can see and
tell you who the gets well, I mean being not
able to see. I don't know.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Well, it's all on the DVD. We're actually gonna have
copies of DVD and the CD to give away to
our listeners a little bit later. You know Ben Harper
was here last week and you did a recording with him.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yeah, we did, she did. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Also, I understand last year in your LA performance, none
other than Prince jumped on stage, right.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
He shocked, He shocked us all we didn't even know
he was there, and the next thing we knew he
was on the stage. Plus he took Joey's guitar from
him and started to play. So that was that was really, really,
really good.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Well you got some friends after all these years? All right, Well,
it's great to have you here. When you set it
off into the next set, the blind Boys of Alabama
are guests live on Casey RW