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| Dr. John and The Blind Boys find connections in 'Spirituals to Funk' Rock legend Dr. John and The Blind Boys of Alabama, who are touring together for the first time, will appear at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, in the Carlsen Center's Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College. The show, called Spirituals to Funk, explores the connections between jazz, blues and gospel. It is based on the legendary Carnegie Hall Spirituals to Swing concerts produced by John Hammond in the 1930s. A conversation with one of the members of The Blind Boys will take place at 4 p.m. Oct. 21 in Yardley Hall. It is free and open to the public. The tour builds on a legacy that started with Dr. John's appearance on the Blind Boys' Grammy award-winning CD Down in New Orleans and continued with the Blind Boys appearance on Dr. John's CD called Louis Armstrong – 100th Birthday Anthology. Dr. John, known as Mac Rebennack to friends and family, is universally celebrated as the living embodiment of the rich musical heritage exclusive to New Orleans. His latest album, Locked Down, came out in April. On it, he is joined by Dan Auerbach, guitarist and singer for The Black Keys. The Los Angeles Times called the album one of Dr. John's best and Rolling Stone called it one of the best albums of the year so far in its mid-year report. His career began in the 1950s when he wrote and played guitar on some of the greatest records to come out of the Crescent City, including recordings by Professor Longhair, Art Neville, Joe Tex and Frankie Ford. In the 1960s, he launched his solo career, developing the persona of Dr. John the Night Tripper. His breakthrough album Gris-gris in 1968 established his unique blend of voodoo mysticism, fun, rhythm & blues, psychedelic rock and Creole roots. Dr. John's big albums include Sun, Moon and Herbs (1971), which included cameos from Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger and In the Right Place (1973), which included the hit Right Place Wrong Time. He has won four Grammys and was nominated for six more. The Blind Boys started singing together in 1939 when they were youngsters at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega, Ala. The group has won a long list of awards, including Lifetime Achievement honors from the Grammys and the Endowment for the Arts. The Blind Boys have won five Grammys and four Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. Three U.S. presidential administrations invited them to the White House: President Clinton in 1994, President Bush in 2002 and President Obama in 2010. write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |