By PHILIP BOOTH and GINA VIVINETTO
Published October 23, 2003
Few groups could claim to match the durability of the Blind Boys of Alabama, headed to Skipper's Smokehouse for a show Sunday night. Clarence Fountain (left), Jimmy Carter (right), and George Scott (not pictured), the surviving original members, organized their gospel vocal ensemble in the early 1940s, when all were students at what was then called the Talladega Institute for the Negro Deaf and Blind.
The Blind Boys of Alabama, originally known as the Happy Land Jubilee Singers, hit the charts in 1955, applying their rugged but sweet harmonies to a rendition of Stand By Me. They gained raves for their work 20 years ago on the Broadway show The Gospel at Colonus (and two resulting soundtrack albums), and collaborated with Booker T. Jones on their 1992 album Deep River.
The Blind Boys' latest disc, like their last two, offers a chance for famous admirers to pay tribute: The Christmas-themed album, Go Tell It on the Mountain, features guest shots by Chrissie Hynde, Aaron Neville, Richard Thompson, Tom Waits, Solomon Burke and Robert Randolph, among others. Next up: An appearance on the soundtrack for Disney's animated Brother Bear.
The Blind Boys will appear with Hamilton Loomis Band at 6 p.m. Sunday at Skipper's Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road, Tampa. Tickets are $20. Call WMNF-FM at (813) 238-8001 or Skipper's, at (813) 971-0666.
- PHILIP BOOTH, Times correspondent
Rap roster that's tough to beat
Friday is a hot night of hip-hop at the St. Pete Times Forum as rappers DMX, Lil' Kim and Nas take the stage.
DMX is the guy who appears drenched in blood on the cover of one album to show you how hardcore he is. DMX is as muscular as his Ruff Ryder beats. This year's Grand Champ features more of the rapper's dramatic urban grist in the form of Where the Hood At? and Who We Be.
To Team Pop's knowledge, Lil' Kim is the only rapper - female or male - ever to have her breast fondled in front of a live television audience of millions by living legend Diana Ross. That, in itself, is noteworthy. Lil' Kim is a pioneer woman in the world of hardcore rap. Kim's brand of hip-hop isn't for tender ears. The rhymes are tough and explicit, and the sexy material is nearly pornographic.
Nas has Team Pop's vote as the most interesting act on the bill. Nas can write provocative rhymes with powerful imagery. Nas, too, has a socially conscious message, though he gets caught up in his own hubris. It's clear Nas sees himself as a sage. Dig the album titles: It Was Written, I Am . . . The Autobiography, Nastradamaus. Okay, okay. We get it: You've got knowledge to share.
Still, the self-appointed "King Of New York" is wise beyond his years. Last year's God's Son bristled with poignant tributes to Nas' late mother and a candidness that you don't often get in today's rap.
Join DMX, Lil' Kim and Nas at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the St. Pete Times Forum, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. $29.50-$57. (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.
