Atlanta Blind Boys of Alabama Fans Surprised with Impromptu Performance by Gospel Singer Babbie Mason
The five-time Grammy Award-winning Blind Boys of Alabama recently kicked off their annual Christmas tour, packing out two shows at the venerable music venue, Eddie's Attic, in Downtown Decatur, just outside Atlanta, on December 1 and 2, 2022, respectively. Subsequent dates will include stops in Chicago, Cleveland, Bellefontaine (Ohio), Spokane and Seattle, where the Blind Boys will perform at the famous Jazz Alley on four consecutive evenings leading up to Christmas Eve.
Attendees at the Atlanta show were thrilled to see familiar faces such as lead singer and eldest Blind Boys member Jimmy Carter, Atlanta's own Ricky McKinnie, Joey Williams, the Reverend Julius Love and Sterling Glass, as well as popular band members Steve Ray Ladson (keyboards), Austin Moore (drums) and Trae Pierce (bassist). Pierce, who fuses rock, country and hip hop in his own formidable group, Trae Pierce & the T-Stones, is no stranger to the Blind Boys, or southern gospel music, for that matter, as he has long maintained affiliation with the group and previously played for the late Charles Johnson & The Revivers. The sounds coming from this particular configuration of the group and band are most reminiscent of those moving soulful, gospel sounds heard on the group's popular and critically acclaimed Grammy-winning Spirit of the Century, Higher Ground and Atom Bomb albums. If its response was any indication, the crowd concurred!
Jimmy Carter has neither lost his abilities to whip a crowd into a frenzy nor hold a note until the cows come home, and it is evident that those frequenting Eddie's Attic love Ricky McKinnie and his brother, Chuck Shivers, who serves as the group's tour manager. The evening was punctuated by familiar Christmas tunes, "White Christmas" and the popular Blind Boys song "Talkin' Christmas." The group also performed an exciting blend of Blind Boys gospel standards such as "God Said It," "Look Where He Brought Me From" and its haunting signature version of "Amazing Grace," rendered in the tune of "House of the Rising Sun," as well as rousing numbers such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe's beloved classic, "Up Above My Head."
As a longtime Blind Boys friend and COO of Traditions Cultural Arts, Inc., Ricky McKinnie's nonprofit organization devoted to promoting and preserving traditional roots music, the author was invited to attend the concert and bring a friend. Dove Award-winning recording artist and songwriting partner Babbie Mason instantly came to mind. The request for one ticket plus one doubled, as Babbie's husband, Charles, and Nancy DeMotte Sutton, a familiar face in Christian music circles, were part of the festive evening.
When the band took the stage, Jimmy Carter began with some opening remarks, acknowledging how the group loves to launch its Christmas tours in Atlanta. He proceeded to announce that Babbie Mason was in the house and alluded that she might be called upon to sing a song before the night was over.
When the band took the stage, Jimmy Carter began with some opening remarks, acknowledging how the group loves to launch its Christmas tours in Atlanta. He proceeded to announce that Babbie Mason was in the house and alluded that she might be called upon to sing a song before the night was over.
Nancy DeMotte Sutton
Greg Freeman, Ricky McKinnie and Babbie Mason in the Green Room at Eddie's Attic
By the time the Blind Boys began to sing "Silent Night," the group had performed most of the songs on its set. In the middle of the group's rendition, Mason (known for her "Pray for me. I'm going in!" quote) stood from her seat and gestured that the moment was right. She made her way to the stage and spoke in Ricky McKinnie's ear, who leaned to his right and told Jimmy Carter that Mason would be singing with them. Carter pulled his microphone close and announced Babbie Mason's name to the enthusiastic applause of her friends and a few others. Mason took a microphone as the Blind Boys finished a verse, and the musicians continued playing in anticipation of her solo. Mason delivered a soul-stirring first verse and chorus before concluding the song with one of those long, all-over-but-the-shoutin' endings that leave you with cold chills and tears in your eyes. Mason, who is known for saying clever but profound things such as "if you sing like this in my church, it'll wreck the whole church," turned a suburban Atlanta music venue and bar into a sanctuary where the believers in the house felt ushered into a unique spirit-filled moment. When the last note had been sung and the final cymbal swell sounded from Austin Moore's drum kit, the applause for Mason echoed uproariously throughout the building.
Nancy DeMotte Sutton
Babbie Mason makes impromptu appearance on stage at Eddie's Attic near Atlanta to perform "Silent Night" with the Blind Boys of Alabama
The Blind Boys of Alabama finished their set, leaving the crowd begging for more. Afterwards, Mason was well-received by audience members, who approached her to say hello and find out more about her music. As the room emptied and some group members made their way to the product table for meet-and-greet and photo opportunities with fans, Mason and her husband, Charles, Nancy Sutton and the author returned to the Green Room for a few moments with Jimmy Carter. An unforgettable evening had come to a close, and Babbie Mason expressed to Carter what a joy it had been to sing with him. Jimmy Carter responded with humility, and was as honored to be in Mason's presence as she was to be in his. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful concert, an evening no one in attendance will forget anytime soon.
Special thanks to Ricky McKinnie and the Blind Boys of Alabama for granting the author and his friends VIP access to the Blind Boys of Alabama show at Eddie's Attic, Decatur, Georgia, on 2 December 2022.
4 December 2022. By Greg Freeman. ListenHereNow.com
Special thanks to Ricky McKinnie and the Blind Boys of Alabama for granting the author and his friends VIP access to the Blind Boys of Alabama show at Eddie's Attic, Decatur, Georgia, on 2 December 2022.
4 December 2022. By Greg Freeman. ListenHereNow.com
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