Although the Blind Boys of Alabama have been singing gospel music for more than five decades, it's only recently that the group has had the benefit of a major record company behind them. The founding members were Clarence Fountain, Johnny Fields, George Scott, Ollice Thomas, and Vel Trayler. The current group consists of Eric McKinney, Billy Bowers, Jimmy Carter, Joey Williams, and Donald Dillion.
From their inception in the 1930s, when all were boys, all members of the group except one were blind. They began singing when all were students, in the glee club, at the Talladega Institute for the Deaf and Blind in Alabama, but didn't begin recording until 1948. As a youth, Fountain heard the legendary Golden Gate Quintet on the radio; the early Five Blind Boys of Alabama took their musical cues from that group. The group began singing professionally as the Happyland Jubilee Singers, and for years only toured the Bible Belt in the Southern U.S.
Since 1948, they've recorded for a variety of small record companies, and had gospel music hits in the 1950s with "Oh, Lord Stand By Me" and "I Can See Everybody's Mother But I Can't See Mine". In 1950, after the death of one of their members, the group renamed themselves simply the Blind Boys of Alabama.
The group recorded first for the Newark-based Coleman Records label. Between 1953 and 1957, the group recorded for Art Rupe's California-based Specialty label. In the 1960s, the group's hard-driving gospel sounds were imitated by people like Bobby "Blue" Bland and Marvin Gaye. The group recorded extensively for the Vee Jay label from 1963 to 1965. In 1969, Fountain left the group for a decade to try to make it on his own, and the group re-formed with all the original members in the late 1970s.
They gained widespread success in 1988, when they starred in an Obie Award-winning Broadway show. According to Fountain, the group's high point was being on Broadway for 15 weeks with the musical Gospel at Colonus. The musical opened up new avenues to bookings for the group, and they began touring theaters and larger churches in the early 1990s, embarking on their first European tours as well. The group was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship in 1994. In 1994 and 1995, the group played festivals including the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Beale Street Music Festival and the King Biscuit Blues Festival. The group also toured in Melbourne, Australia and the World's Fair, in Brisbane.
Mid-1990s television appearances included Black Entertainment Television's On Jazz, and even a cameo on Beverly Hills, 90210.
Since the turn of the century, founding members, George Scott (2005) and Johnny Fields (2009) passed away. Clarence Fountain remains the only living founding member. The group is still performing, under the vocal leadership of longtime member, Jimmy Carter. Releases by the group in recent years have been favorites at the Grammy Awards — they have won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album every year since 2002. The Blind Boys of Alabama were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2002. Their cover of the Tom Waits song "Way Down in The Hole" was featured as the opening theme for season one of HBO's The Wire. In 2008 they released Down in New Orleans, on which they were accompanied by such Crescent City legends as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Allen Toussaint.
Founding members
Jimmy Carter – vocals
Clarence Fountain – vocals (November 28, 1929 - June, 3, 2018)
Johnny Fields (deceased) – vocals
George Scott (d. 2005) – vocals
Olice Thomas (deceased) – vocals
Vel Bozman Traylor (deceased) – vocals
Past members
Bishop Billy Bowers (deceased, July 2, 2013) – vocals
Caleb Butler – rhythm guitar
Samuel Butler Jr – rhythm guitar, songwriter and arranger, manager, second lead singer
Roscoe Robinson – lead vocals
Charles Porter - vocals
Lamont Blount (deceased) – band manager
Go Tell It On The Mountain
The Blind Boys Of Alabama Lyrics
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Over the hills and ev'rywhere.
Go tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born!
The shepherds kept their watching,
O'er silent flocks by night,
When lo! through-out the heavens,
Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and ev'rywhere.
Go tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born!
The shepherds feared and trembled,
When high above the earth,
Rang out an angel chorus,
To hail our Saviour's birth.
Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and ev'rywhere.
Go tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born!
And lo! When they had heard it,
They all bowed down to pray,
Then travelled on together,
To where the Baby lay.
Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and ev'rywhere.
Go tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born!
Down in a lowly manger,
The humble Christ was born,
And God sent us salvation,
That blessed Christmas morn.
Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and ev'rywhere.
Go tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born!
I too am like a shepherd,
My flock of days to guard,
Each day finds time for praying,
From this I won't retard.
Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and ev'rywhere.
Go tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born
The song "Go Tell It On The Mountain" is a gospel Christmas song that reflects on the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The song takes inspiration from the Bible, specifically from the book of Luke chapter 2, where the shepherds who were watching their flock were visited by an angel who proclaimed the good news that Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, had been born. The shepherds were afraid and marveled at the sight of the angel, but they were comforted by the message that the angel shared.
The song reminds us that just as the shepherds were instructed to share the good news, we too should share the message of Jesus Christ's birth with others. The lyrics encourage us to go and tell the story of Jesus Christ's birth all over the world, as His message is meant to reach everyone. The song also reflects on the humility and wonder of the birth of Christ, who was born in a lowly manger, yet He brought salvation to humanity.
Overall, "Go Tell It On The Mountain" is a powerful reminder of the significance of Christmas and the importance of sharing the message of Jesus Christ's birth with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Go tell it on the mountain,
Spread the word loudly and proudly about the good news of Jesus Christ's birth.
Over the hills and ev'rywhere.
No place is off-limits or unworthy of hearing the message, it should reach all corners of the earth.
The shepherds kept their watching,
The shepherds were on duty and stayed watchful.
O'er silent flocks by night,
They were watching the quiet and peaceful flocks of sheep during the night.
When lo! through-out the heavens,
Suddenly and unexpectedly, a divine event occurred in the sky.
There shone a holy light.
The sky radiated with a pure and sacred light that illuminated everything around it.
The shepherds feared and trembled,
The shepherds were scared and shaken by what they saw and heard.
When high above the earth,
In the sky, far above the earth's surface.
Rang out an angel chorus,
The angels sang together in harmony.
To hail our Saviour's birth.
The angels were announcing and celebrating the birth of our savior.
And lo! When they had heard it,
And so it was that when the shepherds heard the news,
They all bowed down to pray,
They knelt down and prayed in a sign of reverence and gratitude.
Then travelled on together,
After praying, they set off together.
To where the Baby lay.
They went to the specific location where the baby was born.
Down in a lowly manger,
The baby was born in a humble and modest manger - a feeding trough for animals.
The humble Christ was born,
Jesus Christ was born in simplicity and humility.
And God sent us salvation,
God has provided us with the means to be saved from our sins by sending his son, Jesus.
That blessed Christmas morn.
This occurred on a blessed Christmas morning.
I too am like a shepherd,
The singer can relate to the shepherds in the story.
My flock of days to guard,
The days of the artist's life are their responsibility to watch over and protect.
Each day finds time for praying,
Every day includes time for the artist to pray.
From this I won't retard.
The artist won't slow down or hinder their prayer time, as it is important to them.
Contributed by Connor D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.