Elvis Presley might have been the king of rock and roll, but all his Grammy awards came for gospel albums. The Gospel Side of Elvis by the Blackwood Quartet will bring Presley’s life-long love and admiration of gospel music back to the forefront. The show will be at the Anne Portnuff Theatre on September 17.
Mark Blackwood is the leader of the group, and has gospel in his bones. The Blackwood family started singing gospel together in 1934, and their connection to Presley goes back to before he was famous. Cecil Blackwood, his father, was signing with him from childhood since meeting in church in Memphis.
“They went to Sunday School together, they went to church together, and they fell in love with this type of music... They loved it so much they started their very first group together as teenagers called the Songfellows.”
The story of the Blackwood family and Presley is one of the focuses of the show, as their shared history is a big part of why the group is performing the tribute. Blackwood notes that his father performed at Presley’s mother’s funeral.
The other reason for doing the show is to make Presley’s life-long love of gospel to the forefront and remind people that this was a passion for the artist.
“If Elvis was going to live any longer, he was going to retire singing this type of music, and he wanted to retire singing this type of music that people will be hearing next week.”
The third generation of gospel singers in the family, he says that they keep doing it because people still love the music and still want to hear it.
While gospel is traditional music, going back long beyond any of the singers, Blackwood believes it’s a timeless kind of music and something that stays relevant no matter where the trends are moving.
“The simplicity, the honesty of four guys singing in harmony, never goes out of style, and people still love it.”
While not a time warp, the tradition is part of the appeal of the music, because it’s a bit of escapism for the audience, Blackwood explains.
“When people hear it, it takes them back to a simpler time, it lifts their spirits. It gets people away from their problems in society and the world.”
Blackwood feels lucky that he has had the chance to make a living doing what he loves, whether singing gospel or producing records, the latter leading to two Grammy awards and working with artists such as Willie Nelson.
“My dad always said that he knew that he wanted to be a preacher or a gospel singer. I knew all my life that I wanted to produce records or sing gospel music. We both have had the chance to do what we love.”
