The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind at Talladega, Alabama in 1939. The three main vocalists of the group and their drummer/percussionist are all blind.
As of 2008, they continue to tour nationally and internationally, with Jimmy Carter singing lead vocals. In 2006, Clarence Fountain, the group's former long-time lead vocalist and founding member limited his touring for health reasons. Another founding member, George Scott, died on March 9, 2005 at the age of 75.
Releases by the group in recent years have been favorites at the Grammy Awards—they won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album every year between 2002 to 2005. The Blind Boys of Alabama were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
In the early 1980s, the Blind Boys of Alabama performed in the Obie Award-winning musical The Gospel at Colonus; their involvement in the production has continued into the twenty-first century, most recently with a 2008 performance in Athens, (Greece, near the original performance location of Sophocles's play Oedipus at Colonus), where Jimmy Carter took over the role of Oedipus originally created by Clarence Foster.
Their rendition of Tom Waits' "Way Down in the Hole" was used as the theme song of the HBO series The Wire in its first season.
Their cover of Ben Harper's "I Shall Not Walk Alone" was featured in the first season of ABC's Lost, in the episode "Confidence Man".
The Blind Boys were featured on the Imus in the Morning radio and TV show on November 30, 2006, on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on December 20, 2006 and March 11, 2008, and on Late Night With Conan O'Brien on February 1, 2008. They have collaborated with numerous artists, including Ben Harper, Aaron Neville and Mavis Staples. They have joined Tom Petty, John Fogerty, and Peter Gabriel on tour, and will tour with Taj Mahal in 2008. In a surprise to both the band and the audience, the Blind Boys were joined by Prince on stage in a March 7, 2008 show at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, California.
Current members
Jimmy Carter – vocals
Bishop Billy Bowers – vocals
Ben Moore - vocals
Eric (Ricky) McKinnie – drums, percussion, vocals
Caleb Butler – rhythm guitar
Joey Williams – lead guitar
Tracy Pierce – bass
Clarence Fountain – tours with the group as his health allows

Founding members
Clarence Fountain
Johnny Fields - vocals
George Scott (deceased) - vocals
Ollie Thomas (deceased) - vocals
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Some ofThe Blind Boys of Alabama Music
1948 I Can See Everybody's Mother But Mine
1950 Livin' On Mother's Prayers
1950 Sweet Honey in the Rocks
1953 Sermon
1953 When I Lost My Mother
1954 Marching to Zion
1954 Oh Lord Stand By Me
1958 My Mother's Train
1959 God is On the Throne
1959 The Original Blind Boys
1963 (1957) You'll Never Walk Alone
1963 Old Time Religion
1963 True Convictions
1965 Can I Get a Witness?