Blind Boys of Alabama caught performing soulful “Higher Ground” by filmmaker

Grammy award-winning gospel group the Blind Boys of Alabama perform Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” a funk classic.

“The Blind Boys showed up in LA and played two gigs one at a church and one at a blues club on the same day. We filmed the live shows, and some in between elevator rides with a boom box.”  (Director of Photography Bobby Eras).

Higher Ground

The song was recorded for Stevie Wonder’s 1973 release “Innervisions“. Stevie Wonder performed all the instruments and vocals on the original release. The song has the Moog synthesizer bass and other synthesizers and demonstrates Stevie Wonder as an innovator.

The song is inspirational and gets the gospel treatment by the Blind Boys of Alabama in their 2002 CD, “Higher Ground”.

Lovers keep on lovin’
Believers keep on believin’
Sleepers just stop sleepin’
Cause it won’t be too long
Oh no
I’m so glad that he let me try it again
Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin
I’m so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on tryin’
Till I reach my highest ground…Whew!
Till I reach my highest ground

Other covers

“Higher Ground” has been covered by dozens of artists from Eric Clapton to Barbara Streisand.
Red Hot Chili Peppers covered the song in 1989 with the same wa-wa effects.