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CLARKSDALE – The hometown of gospel/soul celebrity
Sam Cooke is gearing up to host musicians of similar international
ranking when the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Preservation
Hall Jazz Band perform Friday, April 24, here at Coahoma
Community College.
However, admission to the Pinnacle unlike venues that usually
host the multiple Grammy winners including Carnegie Hall
and Lincoln Center, is free thanks to CCC’s Lyceum
series, Mississippi Festival, and the Rock River Foundation.
“Providing community-wide cultural enrichment activities
is part of Coahoma’s mission statement,” says
Lyceum chairman Yvonne Stanford. “We recommend, however,
that music fans arrive early before the 7 p.m. opening.
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| Performing
with harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite (center),
at the Gertrude Ford Center at the University of Mississippi
several years ago, the Blind Boys of Alabama will
be featured in concert at Coahoma Community College
in Clarksdale in a free concert at 7 p.m. Friday,
April 24. |
Not only have the Blind Boys been legendary artists performing
gospel music “that reaches the heart” for 60
years, they also take on songs by Eric Clapton, and have
hooked up with Tom Waits, Charlie Musselwhite, Mavis Staples,
and George Clinton.
One reviewer says what makes the Blind Boys different from
most gospel groups is its ability to cross over into the mainstream
audiences.
At the Gertrude Ford Center in Oxford several years ago, the audience gasped
and then applauded when Charlie Musselwhite was introduced on stage by the Blind
Boys with the statement:
“ Charlie is an old friend; he is facing emergency eye surgery in Memphis
tomorrow, and we’ve assured him he can join us if things don’t work
out.”
Musselwhite’s surgery was a success, and he’s performed with them
many other times including this “Down by the Riverside” tour.
On April 24 Musselwhite, who lives in California, will be in the Clarksdale area,
but he is being honored with the dedication of a Blues Trail Marker in Kosciusko,
his birthplace.
The collaborative “Down by the Riverside” tour of the Blind Boys
and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band kicked off Sept. 16, 2008, to bring attention
to the rich musical heritage of New Orleans and the city’s revitalization
efforts to continue rebuilding following Hurricane Katrina.
Rave reviews from Rolling Stone and the Washington Post have praised their album, “ Down
in New Orleans,” released Jan. 29, 2008, with guest performances by Allen
Toussaint and the Preservation Jazz Band.
Founded in 1939 by Clarence Fountain, Jimmy Carter, and George Scott who met
at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind, the group has won four consecutive
Grammy Awards.
Interviewed several years ago, Fountain said he believed their inability to see
improved them musically.
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The
Preservation Hall Jazz Band |
“ When God takes one thing from you, he gives you something better,” he
said. “Look at Ray Charles, who was one of the greatest ever. You can see
more into it than the average sighted guy.”
Fountain said the group never got into the music profession to make money but “to
sing and spread the message of the Lord.”
The Blind Boys have been featured on “60 Minutes,” “Regis and
Kelly,” “The Tonight Show,” “The Late Show with David
Letterman,” appeared on the 2005 Grammy Awards telecast, and the 2003 movie “The
Fighting Temptations” with Beyonce and Cuba Gooding Jr.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band that began touring in 1963 derives its name from
Preservation Hall, the historic music venue in New Orleans’ French Quarter.
Many of the band’s charter members performed with the pioneers who invented
jazz in the early 20th century including Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morten, Louis
Armstrong, and Bunk Johnson.
In April the Blind Boys and Preservation Hall performed together along with special
guests Dr. John, Susan Tedeschi, and others at a sold-out concert at Tipitanas
in New Oreleans. The show was recorded for a DVD due soon to be released.
Also featured in concert with the Blind Boys of Alabama at Coahoma Community
College April 24 will be the Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans. |
