The Blind Boys of Alabama’s Ricky McKinnie

Biscuits & Jam

Ricky McKinnie, the leader of the Blind Boys of Alabama, was born and raised in Atlanta, where he got his start singing in the church alongside his mother. Not long after that, while still in his teens, he embarked on a career as a singer and a drummer, often performing with a band called the Soul Searchers. Around the age of 20, he began to lose his eyesight, but as Ricky says, he never lost his vision. After playing with the Blind Boys of Alabama from time to time, he became an official member of the group in 1989, and since then, in various roles, he’s helped lead the band through years of success, fame, and Grammy Awards. Now the group is the subject of a fascinating new book called Spirit of the Century: Our Own Story. Sid talks to Ricky about why the Blind Boys have endured for so long, their hit version of “Amazing Grace,” what he’s learned over decades as a blind musician, and the song that always gets the crowd out of their seats.

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Biscuits & Jam is produced by:

Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living

Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living

Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer

Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer

Jeremiah McVay - Producer

Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations

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