Jimmy Carter, Co-Founding Member of The Blind Boys of Alabama | Interview | New Album, ‘Blind Faith’
Jimmy Carter, co-founding member of The Blind Boys of Alabama recently released his debut solo album ‘Blind Faith’.
The Blind Boys of Alabama have the rare distinction of being recognized around the world as both living legends and modern-day innovators. They are not just gospel singers borrowing from old traditions; the group helped to define those traditions in 20th century and almost single-handedly created a new gospel sound for the 21st. Since the original members first sang together as kids at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in the late 1930s (including Jimmy Carter, who leads the group today), the band has persevered through seven decades to become one of the most recognized and decorated roots music groups in the world.
Jimmy Carter, the last original member of The Blind Boys of Alabama released, the long awaited first solo album titled ‘Blind Faith’. The album was produced and co-written by songwriter, guitarist Ron Pullman.
Jimmy Carter is the eldest member of The Blind Boys of Alabama, five-time Grammy winners, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Gospel Hall of Fame, and the National Heritage Fellowship from the Endowment for the Arts to name a few. He sang with the original group, including his good friend Clarence Fountain back in the late 1930’s when they were at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Deaf and Blind, (now the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind) but was too young to go touring with them at the beginning. After singing with the Dixieland Blind Boys and the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, he eventually officially joined The Blind Boys of Alabama and has been singing with them ever since.
Jimmy dedicated the song ‘I Am With You Still’, the first single off of ‘Blind Faith’, in memory of his good friend, co-founder of The Blind Boys of Alabama, Clarence Fountain.
The music track of ‘I Am With You Still’ was engineered by legendary engineer/producer Alan Parsons at his studio Parsonics in Santa Barbara, CA. Jimmy returned to his roots and the school where he and Clarence attended to have the student choir from AIDB perform on ‘I Am With You Still’.
Ron Pullman wrote all the tracks except tracks 7 and 9, which were written by Joey Williams the band leader of the Jimmy Carter Band. Ron produced the entire record and is the music director for the band and the up-coming tour. Jimmy and Ron talked a lot together and came up with a plan and direction for this album.
“With passion there is always some pain”
Thank you so much for taking your time. How was it to work with Ron Pullman?
Jimmy Carter: You are very welcome Klemen. Thank you for taking time to listen and review my solo album ‘Blind Faith’.
Ron is very talented writer and he was very thorough in keeping with a Gospel message in all the songs. Ron and I spend quite a bit of time discussing the direction of the album but he wrote the songs with full creative discretion. I really enjoyed working with Ron. I like Ron’s writing and he liked my voice so, we made a good team. We’ve formed a great friendship through recording ‘Blind Faith’. Ron is an authentic Gospel song writer and producer… that’s not something you become, it’s a blessing given to you. That is why I believed in Ron’s quality of discernment. His openness to approach things with an open mind and open heart, courage, interior freedom, generosity, and his habit of prayerful reflection are what keep his priorities straight.
It was very special to hear ‘I Am With You Still’. You dedicated the song in memory of your friend and co-founder of The Blind Boys of Alabama, Clarence Fountain.
Jimmy Carter: Ron had written the song and approached me with it shortly after Clarence’s passing, long before ‘Blind Faith’ was in the works. So many things happen to make this song a great song. If you have seen the video there are scenes within the video that shares some of the chance happenings. Ron flew into Birmingham, Alabama and he and I went to meet Ronnie Milsap after his concert. We met the president of AIDB (Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind), John Mascia. The school where Clarence and I attended 80 years ago. Ron went there to visit the school (AIDB) and came up with the idea to have the students sing on the track ‘I Am With You Still’.
Clarence was a great Gospel leader, vocalist and a very good friend. I wanted to honored Clarence with a heartfelt, comforting song like ‘I Am with You Still’. It’s one of the reasons it’s my favorite song on the album, ‘Blind Faith’.
How did you approach songs with Ron Pullman? Was the process fluid or did you experience trouble before finishing all the tracks?
Jimmy Carter: As I mentioned, Ron and I spoke a lot about my childhood and things like the type of music I enjoy. Ron wrote ‘Blind Faith’, based on a conversation we had about my early life. That’s what makes Ron the talented writer that he is because he listens, feels it and then writes about it. The lyrics “As a Child you are given, a life to live, It’s a time when you have nothing to give, now memories fill your heart, a light followed from the start, I’m living with, Your living with …Blind Faith says it all“.
That’s why we named the album ‘Blind Faith’ because we started the album with Blind Faith… and so we continue on the path following that light as I did as a child with Blind Faith.
The process wasn’t always fluid but when you are creating a piece of “musical history” (as Charlie Musselwhite called it), with passion there is always some pain. You just have to embrace it as part of the process.
The album sounds fantastic. Jay Dudt engineered most of the record. He did truly astonishing work.
Jimmy Carter: Ron and Jay are close, like brothers and it is very apparent in the final product of ‘Blind Faith’. Ron being the producer introduced me to Jay. I really like Jay and the way he and Ron worked together in the studio. We laughed a lot in the studio but we also worked hard too. Jay is a fantastic studio engineer, one of the best I’ve ever worked with! Ron and Jay stayed many nights after the recording sessions reviewing and discussing what Ron was striving for in this record. Jay did truly astonishing work. I’ve said it many times, it takes many great things to come together to create an album like ‘Blind Faith’.
Jay Dudt was one of those great things.
I remember, we got to the studio one afternoon and found the mixing board was not working. We thought the recording session was all but lost that day. Jay told us to go have lunch. Jay tore the board apart. When we returned, Jay had fixed the board. Jay was set up and ready to record. That’s the kind of engineer Jay is. Excellent!
Ron Pullman wrote all the tracks except tracks 7 and 9, which were written by Joey Williams the band leader of the Jimmy Carter Band. Ron produced the entire record and is the music director for the band and the up-coming tour. Any hopeful plans for getting back to playing live this year?
Jimmy Carter: Yes, we are all getting together this week to begin rehearsals in Nashville TN. I am looking forward to doing some live shows and some TV appearances like maybe the Today Show or Saturday Morning Sessions. Maybe you can suggest some for us? (Laughs Jimmy and Ron). I know Billy our fantastic PR guy has a few in the works. We’ll keep you informed.
Our band will consist of; Joey Williams, Steven Ray Ladson, Austin Moore, Peter Levin and Ron Pullman. We are going to have a few more players on violin and pedal steel and some vocalists but we’re not sure of them yet.
John Regna, of World Entertainment is looking into booking some of our larger shows.
I am looking forward to having all our friends out to enjoy an evening of fun and good music.
Ron Pullman: I must say that I am humbled to have the opportunity to write and produce a record for an Icon like Jimmy Carter. It was a life changing event.
“I think of my gift as song writing and producer…. as a vessel, being used by the Lord to promote his message of peace.”
Klemen, I believe the people who make a difference in their own lives and in other people’s lives, perhaps even in the world do so by following their passion. This means making a conscious decision to give up their own enjoyable activities to focus their energy on the most important activities many times the calling of other’s and their activities”. Jimmy said it earlier, with passion there is always going to be some pain. I ask, is there any growth without pain? When I got the call from Jimmy saying, “Ron, it’s time to do my solo album”. I dropped the things I was doing an flew down to Birmingham, Alabama to see Jimmy and to discuss what he had in mind. Keeping in mind, that meeting Jimmy and The Blind Boys is another step on my journey that altered my direction, leading me to the my path that I am now being directed too”.
Thus the track ‘Lord Take Me’ is exactly that … “Lord take me where you want me to be, Show me things you want me to see, Move me where you want me to go, Help me Lord… I need to know”. We did that track in a country genre because Jimmy is a County Western enthusiast. He knows all the songs and who wrote them and who performed them. Ryan Joseph is on violin and mandolin.
I am always asking the Lord to move me to where I need to go.. I truly believe that all this music on the record is part of His plan.
The track ‘Crossing The Threshold’ is also done in a country genre, which hosts two of my friends, the great Dobro player Andy Hall from The Infamous Stringdusters and Ryan Joseph, Alan Jackson’s violinist. Ryan and Andy’s performances are just fantastic! Lenesha (sister) Randolph on backing vocals. (Robert Randolph’s sister) Lenesha also appears on ‘I Am With You still’.
Jimmy and I spoke a lot about the cardinal virtues Faith, Hope, Charity (love). The greatest of these is Love.
It was through this track, I came to meet The Blind Boys. So we had to put this on the ‘Blind Faith’ album.
The Bluesy track ‘Find Your Way Home’ is if you help someone find their way then you will find you way home too. When Jimmy called on me to help him. That’s exactly what I did.
When Jimmy told me he wanted this record to be a comfort and to help people through times of darkness. I felt this chorus was fitting: “I’ll shine a light from above, teach all the people about your love, help them learn what they need to know, help them decide which way to go, Then you’ll always find your way home”.
In the song there’s this guy standing at the Crossroads looking East and West trying to decide which way is best, There’s a man sitting on the side of the road, Mister will you help me with my heavy load. Well that tall man stood up, he was wearing a vest, he had “Jesus Saves” tattooed on his chest, asking me if I’d help him, Find.. Find his way home.
Haven’t we all been there before?
Track 1 on ‘Blind Faith’ is ‘After the Storm’, this track is about no matter what Storm you are living through in your life. God will see you through it and you will discover who you are through the difficult times in your life.
The Blind Boys were going to perform after Hurricane Irma hit the Florida Keys. I wrote this song to help raise money for the storm victims. This song has a Central European feel to it.
Will you continue to record new albums?
Jimmy Carter: Yes, Ron and I have already decided to do a follow up record, since this record has made so many people happy with the Gospel message in the songs.
If it is God’s will to allow me to keep making music, I am going to continue singing until I am called on by Him.
Thank you. Last word is yours.
Jimmy Carter: You are welcome Klemen and thank you again.
I want to thank all the people for buying the record ‘Blind Faith’. It’s what makes us want to continue making music for everyone.
My hope was to bring peace to world or to bring comfort to someone in a time they need comforting though our music.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: The Blind Boys of Alabama © by Jim Herrington
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Ron Pullman Official Website / Facebook
