Lengthy U.S. Tour To Celebrate Success of Latest CD
Dates Include Appearances with Sara and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek
Nashville, TN (August 25, 2011) — The Blind Boys of Alabama will embark on an extensive U.S. concert tour this fall, including prestigious performances at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles and San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Sara and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek will open many shows on the tour, and will also collaborate with the Blind Boys on select songs from their latest album, Take the High Road. Sara Watkins and the Blind Boys first performed together last year at a series of sold-out shows by the Blind Boys at New York City’s Lincoln Center, and both artists felt a musical connection that they wanted to build on. “I have been a fan of the Blind Boys of Alabama since I first heard them 15 or 20 years ago, but I’ll never forget the first time I found myself on stage singing with them. I was struck by the force they have – the power in their singing is real. Sean and I are truly excited and grateful to tour and sing with them this fall,” commented Sara Watkins
Released in May 2011, Take the High Road marked the band’s first foray into country gospel, guided by co-producer Jamey Johnson and featuring an outstanding array of guest vocalists such as Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Jr., Lee Ann Womack and The Oak Ridge Boys. “There wasn’t one person who didn’t bawl like a baby or bust their hearts open at least once,” Johnson recounted to the New York Times, remarking on the intensity of the recording sessions. The album drew raves from both Nashville and beyond, with Country Weekly giving it 4 ½ stars, the Associated Press declaring “something heavenly emerged” from the project, and the New York Times gushing that the Blind Boys embrace of country music “couldn’t have gone much better.” After the recording sessions, the group recaptured the studio magic in live collaborations with both Jamey Johnson and Willie Nelson at their respective shows at the New Orleans JazzFest. A few days later, the Oak Ridge Boys flew to New York City to join Johnson and the Blind Boys during a number of television performances.
Tour dates include:
*appearing with Sara and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek
8/26/2011 The Melting Point Athens, GA
8/27/2011 Worship In The City Knoxville, TN
9/4/2011 Camden Backyard BBQ Camden, NJ
9/9/2011 Southside Shuffle Port Credit, ON Canada
9/10/2011 Hope College Holland, MI
9/25/2011 Ventura Hillsides Music Festival Ventura, CA
9/27/2011 Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA
*9/28/2011 The Grammy Museum: Clive Davis Theater Los Angeles, CA
*9/30/2011 Fox Theatre Visalia, CA
10/1/2011 KidCare International Annual Fundraiser Claremont, CA
10/2/2011 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival San Francisco, CA
10/6/2011 The Lincoln Theatre Raleigh, NC
10/7/2011 The Orange Peel Asheville, NC
10/8/2011 McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square Charlotte, NC
10/13/2011 Sellersville Theater Sellersville, PA
10/14/2011 Infinity Hall Norfolk, CT
10/15/2011 “Live From Daryl’s House taping Milford, CT
10/18/2011 Rams Head On Stage Annapolis, MD
10/20/2011 Shaftman Performance Hall Roanoke, VA
10/21/2011 Strathmore North Bethesda, MD
10/22/2011 Agnes Scott College Decatur, GA
*11/3/2011 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
*11/4/2011 Stoughton Opera House Stoughton, WI
*11/5/2011 FitzGerald’s Berwyn, IL
*11/6/2011 Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL
*11/8/2011 Old Rock House St. Louis, MO
*11/10/2011 East Arkansas Community College Forrest City, AR
*11/12/2011 The Midland Theater Kansas City, MO
*11/14/2011 The Kessler Theater Dallas, TX
*11/15/2011 Austin City Limits Live at Moody Theater Austin, TX
*11/16/2011 Dosey Doe Café The Woodlands, TX
*11/18/2011 Samford University Birmingham, AL
*11/19/2011 The Saenger Theater Mobile, AL
*11/20/2011 Mississippi State University Meridian, MS
12/3/2011 39th Annual Noel Night Detroit, MI
12/10/2011 Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Scottsdale, AZ
*12/11/2011 Belly Up Solana Beach, CA
*12/13/2011 Pepperdine University Malibu, CA
12/14/2011 Lancaster Performing Arts Center Lancaster, CA
*12/15/2011 Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts Davis, CA
*12/17/2011 The Uptown Theatre Napa, CA
*12/18/2011 Grand Sierra Resort Reno, NV
12/20/2011 Benaroya Hall Seattle, WA
12/22/2011 Tower Theatre Bend, OR
Honored by both the Grammys and The National Endowment for the Arts with Lifetime Achievement Awards, inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and winners of five Grammy® Awards, The Blind Boys have attained the highest levels of recognition in a career that spans over 70 years and shows no signs of diminishing. Longevity and major awards aside, The Blind Boys have earned praise for their remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favorites to contemporary spiritual material, and now country, by acclaimed songwriters such as Curtis Mayfield, Prince and Tom Waits. Their performances have been experienced by millions on “The Tonight Show,” “Late Night with David Letterman,” the Grammy® Awards telecast, “60 Minutes II,” and on their own holiday PBS Special, as well as big screen appearances in The Fighting Temptations and 2011’s HOP. They have also recorded and or toured with such diverse acts as Peter Gabriel, Ben Harper, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt and Lou Reed. The Blind Boys’ live shows are roof-raising musical events that appeal to audiences of all cultures, as evidenced by an international itinerary that has taken them to almost every continent and have embraced modern technology with a daily Twitter message called #BBwisdom. Today’s quote was from founding member Jimmy Carter: “You gotta hold on to hope when things seem tough. If you do, everything will work out alright.”