Jamey Johnson to produce album for the Blind Boys of Alabama

From The Boot

Jamey Johnson is joining forces with gospel greats the Blind Boys of Alabama to make the group’s next album, and he’s recruited some fellow artists to lend their voices to the project, as well. Jamey has apparently become quite fond of the illustrious vocal group — he brought the Blind Boys out onstage last week to perform some old-time gospel favorites with him during his concert at the Montgomery Performing Arts Center, and also performed with them back in March at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame awards ceremony, when he received the Hall of Fame’s Rising Star Award.

Jamey lined up a week of Nashville sessions for the quintet, recruiting Vince Gill, George Jones, Hank Williams Jr. and the Oak Ridge Boys, among others, to come sing on the album. According to the New York Times, Jamey even brought his own father in to sing on one song. “There wasn’t one person who didn’t bawl like a baby or bust their heart open at least once,” says Jamey about the recording sessions.

The sessions aren’t the first time Jamey has made performing a family affair. Wearing a black jacket and a pair of sunglasses to perform with the gospel legends during the finale of the Montgomery homecoming show, he brought his daughter and several other family members onstage for a rousing rendition of Hank Williams Sr.’s ‘I Saw The Light’ with the Blind Boys as well, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.

Jamey, whose gospel music roots run deep, told Smashing Interviews Magazine back in April that performing with the Blind Boys is just like being in church for him. “Religious would be the best word that comes to mind about performing with them. It was just like being in church, singing with the quartets I sang with growing up. I’ve never heard anything like the Blind Boys. They are just incredible, and they’ve been doing this for 75 years.”

There’s no word yet on when the new project is slated for release.