JIMMY BLACKWOOD

Blackwood. If you have just dipped your toe into the pool of Southern Gospel music, then it won’t be long before the Blackwood name rings a bell. James Blackwood Sr., Doyle Blackwood, Roy Blackwood and nephew, RW Blackwood are the original members of The Blackwood Brothers Quartet getting their start in 1934 in Choctaw County, MS. They were so popular they became “The BestKnown Name in Gospel Music History”. Fast forward to 1969, James Blackwood’s oldest son, James “Jimmy” Blackwood, Jr., took over as the main lead singer for the group. Jimmy began his singing career in 1962 with the Junior Blackwood Brothers then moved onto singing baritone with J.D. Sumner & The Stamps Quartet by 1965.

I can recall precisely the first time I learned of the Blackwoods. It was February of 2002, and I was over at Miggie Lewis’s (The Lewis Family) in Lincolnton, GA. She received the call that Jimmy’s father, James, has just passed away. I was new to the southern gospel scene in some respects, and I recall trying to figure out who was exactly the father “James” or “Jimmy”. Of course, Miggie set me on the correct path and then also told me about the tragic plane crash in 1954, two weeks after they had just won the Arthur Godfrey talent scout TV show. The crash claimed the

lives of RW Blackwood and Bill Lyles.

A few years after being schooled by Miggie I would find myself with Ben Speer. I was attending the National Quartet Convention with him in 2010 when I first met Jimmy without knowing it until after. I say met… He was really talking to Ben. I asked Ben who he was talking to, and he told me Jimmy Blackwood. I would later actually meet and talk to Jimmy a few years later after Faye Speer’s funeral.

Years have gone by since then and I can now say Jimmy has become one of my dearest friends. I managed to drag him kicking and screaming out of retirement and have him sing on my first single from my Bluegrass Gospel album, Somebody Loves Me. I have been able to learn even more about the Blackwood legacy and have heard lots of road stories of his time on the road.

Jimmy was born on July 31, 1943, in National City, CA. From there the family moved to Iowa in 1945 and eventually landed in Memphis, TN in 1950. He has five Grammys and a

Singing News Fan Award for Favorite Lead Singer. Jimmy left the quartet and began a solo career in 1986. After his father died, Jimmy went back to singing lead with the quartet retiring in October 2012.

Rebekah: So, tell the world what it is like being the son of James “Mr. Gospel Music” Jimmy: I didn’t realize how famous my dad and his brothers were in my earlier days. I always called him “Daddy” and was so proud to be named after him. I can remember thinking when I was about five years old that everybody’s daddy sang in a quartet. Later, I figured it out that I had an exceptionally gifted family.

Rebekah: When did you realize you were a singer?

Jimmy: I became interested in singing when I was 20. Mr. Verle Pilant and his wife, Marge, were involved in their local church’s music program and they also

taught music. He organized several of us quartet kids to sing in a quartet with him as the tenor, my cousin, Winston Blackwood as the lead singer, me on baritone, Bill Lyles, Jr singing bass and Marge playing piano. That was my introduction to singing and traveling.

Rebekah: Do you miss the road?

Jimmy: I traveled about 49 years singing in quartets and in solo music. The traveling was enjoyable, but the miles can really take a toll on your body. I learned to sing when I had a cold and my voice was gone, learned to keep going when I was sick or tired and I learned to smile when I didn’t feel like smiling. It’s not an act it’s just finding strength when you feel like you can’t take another step. Over the years I’ve seen my daddy hold on to a microphone stand for support because he was almost too weak to be able to stand on stage and sing. I had a great example.

Rebekah: What was your favorite line-up of the Jimmy: I sang with some of the greatest Gospel singers there have ever been, but I enjoyed the bass singers most. I sang with J.D. Sumner, London Parris, Ken Turner and Butch Owens. Any of those guys could shake the foundation with their low voices.

Rebekah: Can you tell a little bit about the plane crash and how that affected you?

Jimmy: I was only 11 years old when the plane crash happened, in Clanton, Alabama but I knew it was a turning point in our family. My cousin R.W. was the pilot and Bill Lyles was the

co-pilot. They were doing a few practice take-offs and landings and a local friend, Johnny Ogborn, had joined them for the exercises. On the final approach the plane crashed and all three of them died on the runway. There is a monument to them at the airport in Clanton. All the later events in our lives were referred to as having happened before the crash or after the crash. We never really got over that tragedy. Rebekah: Is there anything you would like to add?

Jimmy: I am grateful for my heritage and the opportunities to travel the world and experience so many wonderful things. I have met many prominent leaders, entertainers, and politicians. I’ve met some of the most wonderful people from farmers to bankers, from mechanics to athletes, musicians, doctors, teachers, and people from all walks of life. I have eaten food from the streets of Hong Kong to the cornfields of the Midwest. It has been an amazing life.