
Clarence Fountain, founding member and longtime leader of The Blind Boys of Alabama. The singer died June 3, 2018 in Baton Rouge, La. (Photo by J. Shearer/WireImage)
By Andrew Flanagan, NPR
Blind Boys of Alabama, originally called the Happyland Jubilee Singers when the group was founded in 1944, played a large role in shepherding gospel music into mainstream popularity. Largely due to Fountain’s holy dedication, the band forever resisted calls to transition into the more commercial genres it helped birth: R&B and rock and roll. “There was no way we were going to go pop or rock,” Fountain is quoted in a press release confirming his death. “Who needed it? Our bellies were full, we had no headaches, we were happy. At least I was happy, singing real gospel.”
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