SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK
is an internationally renowned female acapella vocal quartet. For over four decades the group has travelled all over the world creating “positive, loving, and socially conscious message music that matters as it pertains to spiritual fortification, and consistently [taking] an activist stance toward making this planet a better place for all in which to live.” Sweet Honey has performed worldwide in festivals and royal command concerts, as well as in the White House for President and Mrs. Barack Obama. In 2016 they appeared at Carnegie Hall for the 32nd time. Their most recent album, “Love in Evolution,” addresses many current social issues.
Performed at The Grand – October2009
THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA
is an American gospel group founded in 1939 in Talladega, Alabama, and their career spans more than 75 years. The members have changed during that time and most have been visually impaired. The Blind Boys were part of the soundtrack of the Civil Rights movement and sang at benefits for Martin Luther King, Jr. The soundtrack for HBO’s The Wire was the group’s cover of the Tom Waits song “Way Down in the Hole.” The Blind Boys have performed in the White House for three presidents, won five Grammy Awards, as well as The Lifetime Achievement Grammy. The National Endowment for the Arts endowed the group with a National heritage Fellowship and they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. In a 2011 interview with Mother Jones, group member Ricky McKinnie said, “Our disability doesn’t have to be a handicap. It’s not about what you can’t do. It’s about what you do. And what we do is sing good gospel music.”
Performed at The Grand – June 2004
