Three Grammys and 2,000,000 records later, one is compelled to ask, "How did a group of students known as Sounds of Blackness get from St Paul's Macalester College (1971) to international fame and acclaim?". Their leader then and now, Gary D. Hines, will tell you that the answer to that question is prayer, preparation, perspiration and perserverance. Those students laid the groundwork for what has become a cultural institution and a national treasure, adored by people of all backgrounds world-wide and, they are still known as, The Sounds of Blackness. Their primary goal of performing the music of the African-American experience to glorify God by unifying and inspiring All people - is still the same.
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With a 10-piece band, 15 singers, and a touring contingent of 15 members, Sounds of Blackness continues to present R&B, Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Spirituals, Rock& Roll, Ragtime Reggae and Soul - in other words every 'sound of blackness', proudly and unapologetically. The group does this via a variety of formats including recordings, concerts, plays and workshops. Those appearances and presentations have ranged from pre-school to the Smithsonian Institute, universities and colleges to corporations such as General Motors, General Mills, IBM, 3M, Philip Morris, and Northwest Airlines. Sounds have graced stages and studios with Prince, Usher, Ashanti, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Santana, Eric Clapton, Lenny Kravitz, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Jam & Lewis, LA & Babyface, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Robert Duvall, Yolanda Adams, Lyle Lovette and Vince Gill to name a few.
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