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BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA, OTIS TAYLOR, AND ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART
THREE SHADES OF BLUES


To Clarence Fountain, it might have seemed an act of God, but to those of us with less faith, it was at the least good fortune that had the powerful singer’s gospel group the Blind Boys of Alabama with bluesman Otis Taylor appearing at the Somerville Theatre and Alvin Youngblood Hart across the street at Johnny D’s last Friday night. For a few hours, Davis Square was a nexus of roots music where the traditions of old-time praise singing, hardcore country blues and Appalachian mountain music, and grinding electric blues rock held sway.

The Blind Boys were the most potent, whether delivering the five-part harmonies of their more-contemporary arrangements, like Tom Waits’s Devil-bashing "Down in the Hole" and a version of "Amazing Grace" set to the melody of "The House of the Rising Sun," or leaping into the music’s deep past with "Soldier (in the Army of the Lord)," which propelled Jimmy Carter, one of the group’s three sightless lead singers, into the audience. There he worked the sold-out crowd with the fervor of a revival-show preacher, dashing through the aisles, jumping and waving as he testified about "getting the power."

In industry terms, the Blind Boys — the core of which is Fountain, Carter, and George Scott — have more power than any other unfiltered roots performers at the moment. The previous weekend saw their latest CD, Higher Ground (Real World), win them their second consecutive Grammy for traditional gospel recording. And this fall they’ll be a constant on PBS, where a Blind Boys concert film will be a major part of the annual fundraising appeal. So though it was mere coincidence that Fountain, Carter, Scott (all in their 70s) and their group — guitarists Caleb Butler and Joey Williams, bassist Tracy Pierce, and sightless drummer Eric McKinnie — were dressed in matching gold suits with tunic-cut jackets, it also seemed a well-deserved celebration of the status of the Blind Boys’ half-century career.

Now I must abandon journalistic reserve and explain how I came to be Otis Taylor’s guitar aide for his set. The Boulder musician who fuses the deft banjo-derived style of Appalachian legend Dock Boggs with the African-infused spirit and dark command of John Lee Hooker is one of my favorite contemporary artists. When my wife, Laurie, and I stopped by his soundcheck, he explained that he’d been up since 4 a.m. and was worn out, and since I’m the only Bostonian he knows and I’m handy with fretted instruments, he asked for help keeping the banjo, mandolin, and two guitars he’d brought for his solo performance tuned and ready.

Well, I’ve seen Otis from the audience before, but never from side stage — the roadie’s point of view. I also believe that helping people is more important than professional detachment, within certain boundaries. So I agreed, thinking I might learn something too. I did. It’s very cold backstage, near the theater’s uninsulated stone walls. And perhaps there was a little divine intervention assisting both the Blind Boys and Taylor in being able to perform in such chilly environs. Rather than comment on Taylor’s set, let me simply recommend all the stormy, intense trance blues on his three CDs, and thank all in the audience for their generous applause when I handed him his guitars.

Later, at Johnny D’s, guitars with big, brawny electric tones held the floor. For some reason, Alvin Youngblood Hart, an artist given to following his interests whenever they present themselves, arrived with a glorified Southern garage band featuring Black Crowes guitarist Audley Freed. It was a shock to anyone who came prepared to hear the deep acoustic country blues from his superb recent disc Down in the Alley (Memphis International). Hart is an excellent guitarist on any turf, and his slide playing proved especially deft and cutting on the gentle blues "Let Me Die Easy," which he dedicated to Fred Rogers and Johnny Paycheck, and some psychedelic rave-ups. Nonetheless, the ragged Neil Young and Doug Sahm covers he and Freed offered weren’t fair to those who expected originality or a performance better than bar-band banal.

BY TED DROZDOWSKI

Issue Date: March 6 - 13, 2003
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