Live From Daryl's House - Episode 49 (12-11)

Blind Boys Of Alabama

“This was a very special show for me, as I have been a fan of The Blind Boys of Alabama since I was about 14 years old,” enthused Daryl about their appearance. “I used to listen to them and groups like them after church on WDAS radio in Philly.”

Daryl joins the group, whose career spans over 70 years, with no signs of diminishing, for a six-song set of seasonal classics which includes “Born in Bethlehem,” “Can You Give Me a Drink,” “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” “Last Month of the Year” and “Take the High Road.”

Since forming at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind at Talladega, Alabama, in 1939, The Blind Boys continue to tour nationally and internationally with founding member Jimmy Carter singing lead vocals. The group took home the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album four straight years from 2002 to 2005, then were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2009, they were awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The group’s appearance on this month’s installment of the Webby and MTV O Music award-winning Internet series, with Daryl marks a return to Hall’s own foundation in Gospel music.

“They were a big influence on how I approach harmony,” he says. “I can’t believe I got to sing bass with them! They represent my REAL roots!”

The Blind Boys have earned praise for their interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favorites to contemporary spiritual material, and now country, by acclaimed songwriters as varied as Curtis Mayfield, Prince and Tom Waits. They’ve appeared on The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, the Grammy Awards telecast, 60 Minutes and their own PBS special as well as big-screen appearances in The Fighting Temptations and this year’s HOP. They also have recorded and toured with such diverse acts as Peter Gabriel, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt and Lou Reed. They also sport a daily Twitter message #BBwisdom. The group will wrap up an extensive U.S. concert tour, many of them with Nickel Creek’s Sara and Sean Watkins as opening act. Their critically acclaimed May 2011 release, Take the High Road, marked the Blind Boys’ first foray into country gospel, co-produced by Jamey Johnson, featuring guest vocalists Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Jr., Lee Ann Womack and the Oak Ridge Boys.