Blind Boys of Alabama To Highlight Music by the Lake Series July 14

Williams Bay, Wis., June 27, 2007 — The seventh annual Music by Lake series continues on Saturday, July 14, at 7:30 p.m. with the Blind Boys of Alabama, a nationally renowned soul-gospel group.

Performances are held in the Allyn Pavilion for the Performing Arts at George Williams College of Aurora University, located on the shores of Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, Wis.

The Blind Boys of Alabama first formed in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind.  Founding members Clarence Fountain, Jimmy Carter, and George Scott are joined today by more recent arrivals Joey Williams, Ricky McKinnie, Bobby Butler, and Tracy Pierce. 

Their mission is to expand the audience for traditional soul-gospel singing while incorporating contemporary songs and innovative arrangements into their distinctive style. 

The group toiled for more than 40 years on the traditional gospel circuit until an important breakthrough occurred in 1983.  A turning point came with their crucial role in The Gospel at Colonus, the smash hit musical drama created by Bob Telson and Lee Breuer.  This Obie Award-winning Broadway success, coupled with their appearance on two original soundtrack albums in 1984 and 1988, brought the Blind Boys’ timeless sound to an enthusiastic new audience.

The 1992 album Deep River, produced by Booker T. Jones and featuring a transcendent version of Bob Dylan’s I Believe In You, earned the Blind Boys their first Grammy Award nomination.  In 1995 the group released a roof-raising live album I Brought Him With Me, followed by Holding On, an experiment in “funked-up” contemporary gospel. 

After a hiatus of nine years, Spirit Of The Century appeared on the Real World label, winning the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Album.  A version of Tom Waits’ Way Down In The Hole, a track from the album, became the theme song for the acclaimed HBO dramatic series, The Wire.

Higher Ground, a spiritual excavation into the soul music tradition, earned the group its second consecutive Grammy Award in 2002.  That same year, The Blind Boys were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and presented the Dove Award from the Gospel Music Association for Best Traditional Gospel Album. 

2003 brought their third consecutive Grammy for Best Traditional Gospel Album for the star-studded Christmas album, Go Tell It On The Mountain.  This distinctive recording gave The Blind Boys an opportunity to give something to others in need.  With two original members of the group suffering from type 2 diabetes, a portion of the proceeds from the recording were donated to the American Diabetes Foundation, for whom they became spokesmen in 2003.

A collaboration with Ben Harper in 2004 produced another hit:  Let There Be Light, culminating in a third Grammy nomination and inclusion in The Billboard Top 100 list, a first in the group’s history.  A reprisal of a new 20th anniversary version of The Gospel at Colonus starring Charles S. Dutton and The Soul Stirrers ran at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem that same year.

As they have reached new levels of respect, acclaim and commercial success in recent years, the group’s mission to do God’s work in new and inspiring ways has remained the same.  In doing so, they continue to expand the very definitions of gospel and soul, while bolstering a legacy unmatched by any other traditional artist or ensemble choosing to remain true to the gospel path.

The artist underwriter for this performance is The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation.

This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts’ American Masterpieces, which believes a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from General Mills Foundation, Land O’Lakes Foundation and Wisconsin Arts Board.

The Music by the Lake series continues with:

• “The New Moon,” an operetta by Sigmund Romberg, featuring the Music by the Lake Orchestra, Chorus and soloists, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 21, and at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 22. The artist underwriter for this performance is The Bell Family Foundation.
• The 5th Dimension at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4. The artist underwriter for this performance is The J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation.

Single tickets and season subscriptions are available. Single tickets are available for the Blind Boys performance in the pavilion seating area for $53, terrace area for $27 and the lawn area for $11.

Season lawn seating packages—four tickets redeemable at any event(s)—are available for $37. For tickets, visit the Web site at www.aurora.edu/mbtl or call (866) 843-5200, toll free.

The 2007 Music by the Lake concert series is generously supported by presenting sponsor Keefe Real Estate; platinum sponsors AT&T, FairWyn Investment & Development, and Gage Marine and Lake Geneva Cruise Line; gold sponsors are The Abbey Resort, Boldt Construction, Scherrer Construction Co., Inc., Aurora Health Care, and Grand Geneva Resort and Spa; and silver sponsors are Balestrieri Environmental and Development, Inc., M&I Bank, locally-owned Mid-America Bank, First Banking Center, and WLKG 96.1.

Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. The university is comprised of two campuses: a 30-acre campus in Aurora, Ill., with academic, administrative, and residential buildings; and the more than 200-acre George Williams College on Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, Wis. Approximately 4,000 degree-seeking students are enrolled each year on the university’s Illinois and Wisconsin campuses, and the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association to award degrees at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels. The George Williams College campus offers 12 academic programs, unique conference facilities, and is home to Music by the Lake and other education and enrichment programs.

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Note: Media may download print-quality photos by going to the Music by the Lake press room at www.aurora.edu/mbtl/press.