The legendary Blind Boys of Alabama make their third visit to Mountain Stage, recorded live on the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown. After singing quartet-style gospel together for more than 65 years, Blind Boys need little introduction. The group's most recent release, Take the High Road, is their first-ever album of country tunes, and features collaborations with Hank Williams Jr., Vince Gill and others.
Formed at Alabama's Talladega School for the Blind in the late '30s, Blind Boys have won six Grammys, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and their version of the Tom Waits song "Way Down in the Hole" was used as the main title theme for the first season of the acclaimed HBO series The Wire. Their rousing, soulful performance brought — and kept — this Mountain Stage audience on its feet the entire set, including the special finale.
This segment originally aired on June 20th, 2011.
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