Celebrate Romance With Champagne, Chocolate, And World-Class Jazz This Valentine's Day At Soka Performing Arts Center

It's hard to imagine a more potent combination of blues and gospel talent than The Blind Boys of Alabama and Shemekia Copeland, who will join forces on February 22 at Soka Performing Arts Center.

The Blind Boys of Alabama have been setting gospel music standards for more than eight decades, winning multiple GRAMMY Awards, influencing generations of musicians and breaking racial barriers. Founded in 1939 in Talladega, Alabama, the group grew steadily in popularity, achieving mainstream success with their memorable work in the 1983 Obie Award-winning musical “The Gospel at Colonus.” Over the years, The Blind Boys' changing roster of musicians have mostly been vision impaired.

The five-member ensemble will perform with iconic blues singer Shemekia Copeland, who brings a singularly powerful voice to songs that are unflinchingly honest in their examination of contemporary issues and challenges. The 12 songs on her new GRAMMY nominated album, “Blame It On Eve,” address subjects ranging from women's rights to climate change with insight and often surprising humor. Over her two-decade career Copeland has performed with Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards and B.B. King and appeared at the United Nations and the White House.

Copeland calls herself “an idea person” who frequently works closely with songwriters. She brings song ideas to her team to be worked out organically. “It's like getting a dress tailor-made to fit you,” Copeland says.

Copeland feels a strong sense of responsibility to her music and her genre.

“Blues is history. It is black history in particular,” Copeland says in a recent interview with Blues.gr. “Many of its stories and lessons aren't taught in school. In fact, some parts of our country are trying to forbid those stories being taught in school.”

Despite its specificity, Copeland strongly feels that blues is universal in its relevance and appeal. “That is not to say that blues is only for black people. It expresses the hopes and dreams, happiness and sorrows that everyone has in life. It is the most human of musical genres. And an original American art form. It's also joyous and fun.”

Singer and percussionist Eric “Ricky” McKinnie, who has performed with and managed The Blind Boys of Alabama since 1989, is proud of the group's lengthy and storied history. One of the keys to the group's success, McKinnie said, is its stability. Since its formation, the line-up has included only a handful of members, and many remain for decades. “I don't really know how many it's been – I guess maybe 15 or 20,” McKinnie says. “Many stay for a long time.”

One of the group's cofounders, Jimmy Carter, retired in his early 90s after a lifelong association with The Blind Boys. Carter was a student at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind when the group was originally formed but was too young to join their tours. He re-joined The Blind Boys in 1982.

“It's up to the member when to retire,” McKinnie says. “We don't have a set time. It's whenever you feel like it's your time to kind of take a rest. Jimmy is still doing good. He sang with us last year. He's still hanging in there.”

The Blind Boys of Alabama used to make all musical decisions themselves, but they've gradually welcomed outside influences to shape their programming choices, McKinnie says. “There was a time when the group made all the decisions pretty much about the music, but since about 1994 we started using different professional producers to come in and we listen to their advice. They bring some songs, and we take a listen to them.”

McKinnie didn't reveal any specifics about the upcoming Soka concert or the collaboration with Copeland, but he says there will be music for fans old and young. “We're gonna sing some a capella songs. We're gonna sing some old songs.”

McKinnie promises that audiences would also hear selections from the group's 2023 album, “Echoes of the South.”

To post a comment, you must register and login.