Recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music, celebrated by The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences with Lifetime Achievement Awards, and inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, The Blind Boys of Alabama have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that spans decades. The Blind Boys are known for crossing multiple musical boundaries with their remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favorites to contemporary spiritual material by songwriters such as Ben Harper, Eric Clapton, Prince, and Tom Waits. They have appeared on recordings with Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, k.d. lang, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson, Susan Tedeschi, Solomon Burke, Aaron Neville, Ben Harper, and most recently Justin Vernon, Patty Griffin, Merrill Garbus, and Sam Amidon on their latest recording “I’ll Find A Way.” The Blind Boys of Alabama have made appearances on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, The Grammy Awards, 60 Minutes, The Colbert Report and their own holiday special on PBS.

Nearly seventy-five years after they hit their first notes together, the Blind Boys of Alabama are exceptional not only in their longevity, but also in the breadth of their catalog and their relevance to contemporary roots music. “We appreciate the accolades and we thank God for them,” says Jimmy Carter, a founding member and the Blind Boys’ leader for five years now. “But we’re not interested in money or anything other than singing gospel. We had no idea when we started that we would make it this far. The secret to our longevity is, we love what we do. And when you love what you do, that keeps you motivated. That keeps you alive.” The Blind Boys are scheduled to perform at the Suwannee Springfest and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival following their performance at the Rylander Theatre on Saturday, March 14.   

This is the final performance in the Friends of the Rylander’s Presenters Series for the year. Managing Director, Heather Stanley, says “it’s only fitting to have the Blind Boys close out our 15^th Anniversary season. They performed here when the theatre first reopened and having them back for this celebration is very exciting.” The Blind Boys of Alabama are presented by the Friends of the Rylander Theatre and a grant from the Fox Theatre Institute and Georgia Presenters. This will be a single engagement; Saturday, March 14 at 8pm. Tickets are $25 Reserved Seating on sale now. Box Office hours are Tuesday—Friday, 11am to 4pm or online at www.rylander.org.