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
I Know a Place
The Blind Boys Of Alabama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you, do you?
Well, I know I've been converted
Do you, do you?
Well, I know I made a change
I ain't ashamed to call my Jesus' name
I know I've been converted
Well, when I was a sinner
Lord, I tried to pray
My words seemed to fail me
And I didn't know what to say
Well, I heard a voice came from Heaven
Saying, “I will show you the way”
Lord, I know I've been converted
Do you, do you?
I know I've been converted
Do you, do you?
Well, I know I've been converted
Do you, do you?
You took my feet off
The [Incomprehensible] clay
Started me to running up
The Kings highway
Lord, I know I've been converted
Do you?
Do you know I've been converted
Do you, do you?
Well, I know I've been converted
Do you, do you?
Well, I know I made a change
I ain't ashamed to call my Jesus' name
Well, I know I've been converted
Do you?
The Blind Boys of Alabama's song "I Know I've Been Converted" is a gospel song that speaks about the experience of being transformed by faith in God. The lyrics express a personal testimony of the singer who has found redemption and salvation in Jesus Christ. The repetition of the chorus "Well, I know I've been converted, do you?" invites the listener to consider their own beliefs and experience of faith.
The first verse of the song describes the singer's conviction of their conversion. They know they have changed and are proud to proclaim their faith. The second verse speaks of the struggle of prayer and feeling lost when they were a sinner. But they heard a voice from heaven that showed them the way. The third verse speaks of being taken off the clay and running on the King's highway with newfound joy and freedom.
The overall message of the song is one of hope and redemption. Through faith in God, one can experience a transformation that brings them out of darkness and into the light. The song is a powerful reminder of the transformative power of faith and a call to action for the listener to consider their own belief and experience of faith.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I know I've been converted
The singer believes they have had a profound spiritual experience that has changed their life
Do you, do you?
The singer is questioning whether the listener has also had a similar spiritual experience
Well, I know I made a change
The singer recognizes that their spiritual experience has caused them to behave differently
I ain't ashamed to call my Jesus' name
The artist is unapologetic about their newfound Christian faith
When I was a sinner
The artist acknowledges that they were once living a life that went against Christian values
Lord, I tried to pray
The singer attempted to connect with God through prayer
My words seemed to fail me
The singer was unable to find the right words to express themselves during prayer
And I didn't know what to say
The artist felt lost and unsure of how to communicate with God
Well, I heard a voice came from Heaven
The artist experienced a divine intervention in which they heard a message from God
Saying, 'I will show you the way'
The message from God promised to guide the artist towards a better path
You took my feet off the [Incomprehensible] clay
The singer is expressing gratitude towards God for rescuing them from a difficult situation
Started me to running up the Kings highway
The artist is now on a path towards righteousness and is moving quickly towards their spiritual journey
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA, CHRIS GOLDSMITH, JOHN CHELEW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Francisco Berkemeier
Where were these guys? Just great... "where the lion walks beside me"
knoxvilleguy2
I thought that the Staples Singers did a version of this in the 70's, but maybe just the titles were similar.....