The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel music group from Alabama that first … Read Full Bio ↴The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel music group from Alabama that first formed at the Talledega School for the Deaf and Blind in 1939.

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

Walk With Me
The Blind Boys Of Alabama Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, if you please,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o'er,
Time for me will be no more;

Guide me gently, safely o'er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Overall Meaning

The Blind Boys of Alabama’s song “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” is a gospel hymn that speaks about the desire to walk closer with God while recognizing that one is weak and in need of His strength. The song opens with a prayer-like request to Jesus to grant the desire to walk closely with Him. It then continues to acknowledge human weakness and asks Jesus to keep the singer from all wrong. The chorus asks for the grace to “daily walk close to Thee” and for that to be granted by God.

The second verse speaks about the difficulties of this world and acknowledges that only God can help in carrying burdens. It is an honest recognition of the frailty of human existence and the need for divine intervention. The final verse is a recognition of life’s impermanence and a plea for a safe passage to heaven. The song is a call to lean on faith and to seek God's presence for the journey through life.

This song has been covered by numerous gospel, blues and jazz artists, including Mahalia Jackson, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Bob Dylan. It has been a staple in African American church ceremonies, and it is considered one of the quintessential hymns of the genre.

Line by Line Meaning

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Lord, I pray to walk closer with you and follow your guidance

Grant it, Jesus, if you please,
Please Jesus, grant me the strength to follow you

Daily walking close to Thee,
Every day I strive to be closer to you

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
I pray that it will be your will for me to walk with you

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
I may be weak, but your strength will sustain me

Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I ask for your protection against all evil

I'll be satisfied as long
I will be content as long as

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
I continue to walk with you by my side

Through this world of toil and snares,
In this difficult world full of obstacles

If I falter, Lord, who cares?
If I stumble, Lord, who else will truly care for me?

Who with me my burden shares?
Who will carry my burdens with me?