Careers in the Arts Toolkit Artist Profile: Blind Boys of Alabama

Gospel singers

Various locations, AL

The Blind Boys of Alabama, 1994 NEA National Heritage Fellows, have the rare distinction of being recognized around the world as both living legends and modern-day innovators. They are not just gospel singers borrowing from old traditions; the group helped to define those traditions in the 20th century and almost single-handedly created a new gospel sound for the 21st. Since the original members first sang together as kids at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in the late 1930s, the band has persevered through seven decades to become one of the most recognized and decorated roots music groups in the world. The Blind Boys of Alabama have performed on stages all over the world, touring nearly year-round for decades. They have earned five GRAMMY® Awards, a Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY, been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and performed at the White House for three different presidents.

The singers of the Blind Boys of Alabama have always felt a responsibility to give back to and inspire the blind community. The original members of the band met at a school for the blind in the 1930s and to this day the group still makes a point to perform at schools for the blind all across the country. They have continually sought to inspire young kids with disabilities to not feel limited by their circumstances. The band is a living testament that a disability doesn’t have to hold you back from achieving your dreams. Throughout the years they have made an effort to use their voices to support the global blind community. They performed at the United Nations in support of a treaty on disabilities. In 2015, they visited Curaçao to meet and perform with the Fundashon Pro Bista, a local blind choir. The Blind Boys of Alabama have also performed at several fundraising events to raise money for people with disabilities.

Over the course of their career, the Blind Boys of Alabama have seen singers come and go but they have always remained committed to hiring blind singers. Having several blind members in a touring band means that special accommodations must be made. Each venue they perform at works with the group to make sure their needs are met. Working directly with venues on how best to accommodate a performer with a disability helps the venue to improve services for future performers and patrons with disabilities. Other important factors taken into consideration during a tour are transportation, flights, and hotels. Each step of their tour is adapted, as needed, to accommodate them. That being said, the band has been able to travel all over the world for decades, and have overcome any obstacle or limitation presented to them.

The Blind Boys of Alabama have used their disability to inspire people with and without disabilities alike. They have paved the way for future artists with disabilities to perform at the same venues and on the same stages. The Blind Boys of Alabama have proven that it is more than possible to successfully navigate the entertainment industry with a disability.