Lift Every Voice and Sing!
The Birmingham Sunlights--2009 NEA National Heritage Fellows---draw on the rich heritage of quartet-style singing of Alabama's Jefferson County region, which folklorist Hank Willett calls one of the "most remarkable of Alabama's cultural jewels." The five-man, four-part harmony a cappella gospel group was formed in 1978 by Music Director James Alex Taylor and his brothers Steve and Barry. In this excerpt from this week's new NEA podcast, James and Barry reminisce about the concert that showed them just how transformative their music is.
Listen to the full podcast, which features the brothers discussing the group's beginnings, their influences, and how they've brought the traditional form into the 21st century.
Stay tuned for next week?s Art Works podcast on NEA Jazz Master David Baker.
