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
It's Alright
The Blind Boys Of Alabama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need some time to get my head round
The things you said to me
Thoughts are whirling round my head alright
I never knew that I could feel so strong
Like the way I feel for you
That seemed impossible to me alright
Said oh, oh, I wish that you could see
Said oh, oh, it's the way it's meant to be, yeah
you're the only one I want at night
You keep me warm and make me feel alright
why know that we can work it out coz it's alright
I only want to share my life with you
Coz I love all the things you do
Coz I know that it's alright
see'mon
You know that I'm a dreamer, I can change reality
why know it's good times when we're together see'mon
We could take our love around the world
We could dance upon a sea
A little bit of work won't be forever
Said oh, oh I wish that you could see
Said oh, oh it's the way it's meant to be yeah
you're the only one I want at night
You keep me warm and make me feel alright
why know that we can work it out coz it's alright
I only want to share my life with you
Coz I love all the things you do
Coz I know that it's alright
Now I've been sitting reminiscing
'Bout the way we sued to be
And how I want those feelings back
Because they mean the world to me
So check it
I've seen around the world
Climbed the highest heights
To prove my love for you is real
To keep you warm through winter nights
Now baby, I want to let you know the way you got me feeling
It's guaranteed to keep me here because we're reeling
When there's a problem, together we can solve them
Yo all we gots to do is keep that perfect world revolving
Said oh, oh I wish that you could see
Said oh, oh it's the way it's meant to be yeah
you're the only one I want at night
You keep me warm and make me feel alright
why know that we can work it out coz it's alright
I only want to share my life with you
Coz I love all the things you do
Coz I know that it's alright
Ooh check it
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
The Blind Boys Of Alabama's song "It's Alright" is a love song that expresses the singer's feelings towards their partner. The lyrics convey the message that despite any challenges and doubts that may arise in their relationship, everything will be alright as long as they are together. The singer needs some time to reflect on the things their partner said to them, and as they think about it, they realize that they have never felt so strongly towards anyone before. The singer wishes their partner could see how much they love them and that they are meant to be together.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "It's alright" several times, emphasizing the reassurance and comfort the singer finds in their love for their partner. They express their desire to share their life with their partner and to travel the world with them. The singer reminisces about the past and how much they miss the feelings they used to share with their partner. They assure their partner that they will do anything to keep their love strong and make them feel warm and loved.
Overall, the song conveys a message of love and commitment, emphasizing that any problems can be worked out as long as they have each other. The Blind Boys Of Alabama's soulful and emotional performance of the song adds to its depth and meaning, making it a powerful and uplifting love ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
Alright, see'mon oh baby, alright
Let's go baby, everything is alright
I need some time to get my head round
I need to process the things you said
The things you said to me
I am trying to understand your words
Thoughts are whirling round my head alright
My mind is racing but I'm okay with it
I never knew that I could feel so strong
I never imagined feeling this way
Like the way I feel for you
I have intense feelings for you
That seemed impossible to me alright
It's surprising, but I'm okay with it
Said oh, oh, I wish that you could see
I wish you could understand my point of view
Said oh, oh, it's the way it's meant to be, yeah
Our love is natural and meant to be
You're the only one I want at night
You are the only one I want to be with
You keep me warm and make me feel alright
Being with you brings me comfort and happiness
Why know that we can work it out coz it's alright
I believe we can overcome challenges because our love is strong
I only want to share my life with you
I want to spend my life with you
Coz I love all the things you do
I love everything about you
Coz I know that it's alright
I know our love is going to be alright
You know that I'm a dreamer, I can change reality
I have big dreams and believe I can make them come true with you
Why know it's good times when we're together see'mon
We have a great time when we are together
We could take our love around the world
We can explore the world together
We could dance upon a sea
We can enjoy new experiences together
A little bit of work won't be forever
Temporary challenges can be overcome with effort
Now I've been sitting reminiscing
I have been thinking about the way things used to be
'Bout the way we sued to be
I am remembering how our relationship was
And how I want those feelings back
I want to rekindle our relationship
Because they mean the world to me
Those feelings are very important to me
So check it
Listen up
I've seen around the world
I have traveled
Climbed the highest heights
I have achieved great things in my life
To prove my love for you is real
I want to show you how much I love you
To keep you warm through winter nights
I want to provide comfort and care for you always
Now baby, I want to let you know the way you got me feeling
I want to share my feelings with you
It's guaranteed to keep me here because we're reeling
My feelings for you are strong
When there's a problem, together we can solve them
We can work together to overcome any problem
Yo all we gots to do is keep that perfect world revolving
We just need to keep our love strong and everything will be okay
Ooh check it
Listen closely
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Expressing excitement and joy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HUGH THOMAS MORGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind