Blind Boys of Alabama have returned today to unveil the closing track from their upcoming album Echoes Of The South, coming September 8 on Single Lock Records. A reimagining of Stevie Wonder’s “Heaven Help Us All” (originally penned by Ron Miller), the five-time GRAMMY-winners bring their iconic and unmistakable vocal stylings to this chart-topping classic from one of their multi-time collaborators. With its focus on empathy and compassion in the face of calamity, “Heaven Help Us All” was first released in 1970 but feels more relevant than ever today; a rallying cry against war, racism and gun violence through the powers of light and love. Listen to the Blind Boys of Alabama’s version of “Heaven Help Us All” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReAIjl8l_fg
Pre-order Echoes Of The South here (out September 8): http://link.singlelock.com/blindboys
By returning to the music of Stevie Wonder on Echoes Of The South - who has performed with the Blind Boys in the past, and presented them with a lifetime achievement award - the group offer yet another example of revisiting and celebrating their roots on this new collection. The Blind Boys previously covered Wonder's "Higher Ground" on their 2002 album of the same name - a version which has been synced many times across film and television, including in FX's Fargo. Echoes Of The South is also the first album the Blind Boys have ever fully made in their home state of Alabama, and features a tracklist that draws on the music that's most inspired them over their careers: long-lost gospel classics, traditional spirituals and timeless R&B/soul cuts made famous by artists like Wonder, Pops Staples and Curtis Mayfield.
The album is named after the first radio show that ever booked the Blind Boys as guests (out of WSGN in Birmingham), and the cover art features braille for the first time; among the personal touches that establish Echoes Of The South as a "homecoming" in so many senses of the word. Calling back to their work with Stevie Wonder on "Heaven Help Us All," the Blind Boys offer a reminder that they've long embraced the spirit of collaboration across genres - including with Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Peter Gabriel, Chrissie Hynde, Bonnie Raitt and Bon Iver.
This first new album in six years is released in honor of late Blind Boys of Alabama members Benjamin Moore and Paul Beasley, both of whom the group lost shortly after recording Echoes Of The South last year. The Blind Boys have also shared “Work Until My Days Are Done” from the collection, which was deemed an “instant classic” by American Songwriter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22sNAi9AJqc
‘ECHOES OF THE SOUTH’ TRACKLIST
1. Send It On Down
2. Work Until My Days Are Done
3. Friendship
4. You Can't Hurry God
5. Jesus You’ve Been Good To Me
6. The Last Time
7. Keep On Pushin'
8. Paul's Prayer
9. Wide River to Cross
10. Nothing But Love
11. Heaven Help Us All
BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA TOUR DATES
August 19 - CHOMP - Redmond, WA
August 27 - Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival - Vancouver, WA
September 9 - Paramount Center for the Arts - Saint Cloud, MN
September 10 - Reif Performing Arts Center - Grand Rapids, MN
September 11 - Pablo Center at the Confluence - Eau Claire, WI
September 13 - Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium - Athens, OH
September 15 - City Winery Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA
September 16 - City Winery Boston - Boston, MA
September 17 - City Winery New York - New York, NY
October 7 - Paramount Theatre (with Robert Cray) - Cedar Rapids, IA
November 19 - Edwin J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall - Akron, OH
November 26 - Lone Tree Arts Center - Lone Tree, CO
November 28 - Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix, AZ
November 29 - Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix, AZ
December 1 - Jefferson Performing Arts Center - Metairie, LA
January 13-20 - Sandy Beaches Cruise 2024 - Fort Lauderdale, FL
February 8 - Fred Kavli Theatre (with Bobby Rush) - Thousand Oaks, CA
February 9 - Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (with Bobby Rush) - Cerritos, CA
