Jimmy Carter

This spring, we’ve been sitting down with some of America’s most fascinating elder statesmen older Americans, long past retirement age, who are nonetheless still working to change how we live and work in this country. We’re calling this series “In My Experience.” And today we talk with lead singer and one of the founding members of the Blind Boys of Alabama, Jimmy Carter.

They got their start at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. Sixty-nine years later, the band remains a gospel music institution. For their latest album, Down in New Orleans, the Blind Boys went to Louisiana for a new take on some classic ...