Clarence Fountain has long been a staple of smooth, blues-based gospel. As one of the founding members of The Blind Boys of Alabama, he's been a fixture on the gospel charts for six decades. Even now, he's one of the most popular soul men in religious music today. With five Grammys and an induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, it's hard to find a bigger star in the field today.
Sam Butler could be called Fountain's student-turned-collaborator. He has a remarkable musical resume himself: He started to sing in church at age 4 (which is around the time that Fountain met him) and picked up his first guitar when he was 7. He's since worked with noted groups in and out of the gospel scene, including The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Staple Singers, The Gospel Keynotes, The Dixie Hummingbirds, Joe Cocker, Laurie Anderson, Keith Richards, Roger Christian, Dorothy Norwood, Chris Brubeck, Gary Katz, Donald Fagan, Bobby Womack and John Cale.
He's recently returned to his mentor to create the blues-infused religious release, Stepping Up and Stepping Out.
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