The Grammy-winning Blind Boys of Alabama will fill Hope College's Dimnent Memorial Chapel with their soulful gospel sounds on Saturday, Sept. 10.

The legendary gospel group,  first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939, has won five Grammies, sung for two presidents at the White House and been given lifetime achievement awards by both the National Endowment for the Arts and the Grammy Foundation. They're best known for their soulful interpretations of traditional spirituals, as well as songs by modern artists like Curtis Mayfield, Tom Waits and Ben Harper. Their 2004 record with Harper, There Will Be a Light, won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album and exposed the band to a younger generation of fans.  Their 2011 recording release, Take the High Road, marked the group’s first foray into country music, featuring duets with artists including and features artists Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Jr., Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack and The Oak Ridge Boys.

Formed in late 1930s at a Talledega, Ala. school for the blind, the group played for nearly 40 years almost exclusively on the black gospel circuit, playing in churches, auditoriums, and even stadiums across the country. Their recorded output, reaching back to 1948 with their hit “I Can See Everybody’s Mother But Mine” on the Veejay label, is widely recognized as being influential for many gospel, R&B and rock-and-roll artists. The Blind Boys had their own chance to “cross over” to popular music in the 1950s, along with their gospel friend and contemporary Sam Cooke, but stayed true to their calling. In the 1960s, they joined the Civil Rights movement, performing at benefits for Dr. Martin Luther King.

Tickets for the Hope College performance by the Blind Boys of Alabama are $18 for regular admission, $13 for senior citizens, and $6 for students and children. Tickets are on sale at the ticket office in the main lobby of the DeVos Fieldhouse. The ticket office is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890.