Sat 3/29 @ 6:30PM
Two powerhouse acts with deep roots in two traditional American roots music genres will be sharing an evening at the Kent Stage that’s bound to be passionate and memorable.
The Blind Boys of Alabama vocal ensemble was formed in the mid ’40s at the Alabama Institute for the Blind and enjoyed popularity on the gospel circuit in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. But mainstream audiences became increasingly aware of them in the mid ’80s and beyond, especially after they signed with Peter Gabriel’s label in the late ’90s, began scooping up awards (capped by a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009) and opportunities to appear on special events and collaborate with a range of blues, jazz, folk, country and pop artists. Obviously it’s not the same members today but it’s still the same expansive but gospel-based sound.
Shemekia Copeland hit the music scene 26 years ago as a teenager performing in an aging genre: blues. But on her 1998 debut album she showed an unusually seasoned approach for a 19-year-old, undoubtedly in part because she’d already earned her road miles touring with her father, blues guitar great Johnny Copeland, as his health declined. She’s now 45 with hundreds of thousands of mile and a dozen albums under her belt including last year’s Blame It on Eve.
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