[Cover photo of Blind Boys of Alabama at the Grammy Awards with manager Jeff DeLia of 72 Music Mgmt]

For the first time, Gospel mainstays Blind Boys of Alabama and Blues Hall of Famer Bobby Rush have collaborated on a recording, out now. They came together for the Sacred Soul classic “99 ½ Won’t Do”, with proceeds to support the Mid-South Food Bank in Memphis, TN.

Both Rush and the Blind Boys won Grammy Awards this year. The Blind Boys appeared on the Today Show in April, sat in recently with Tom Jones, and are set to receive an Americana Music Award Lifetime Achievement Award this Fall.

Also joining the recording is American Folk artist Dom Flemons and Folk-Rock band The Dustbowl Revival. The artists and Producers who performed on this new version have won a combined eleven Grammy Awards. The release also celebrates the ten-year anniversary of DeLia’s 72 Music Management.

“99 and 1/2 Won’t Do” is a traditional song that has been recorded by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mavis Staples with Ry Cooder, Steve Cropper, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Hezekiah Walker, Wilson Pickett, and Eddie Floyd.

“99 and a ½ Won’t Do” was recorded throughout the United States in 2023 with initial tracking in Nashville with Linden on guitar, Dominic Davis on bass (Jack White, Beck), and Bryan Owings on drums (Tony Joe White, Shelby Lynne). The Blind Boys session was recorded in Minneapolis, Dom Flemons in Chicago, and Dustbowl Revival in Los Angeles.

The single was first released as a randomly-colored 45rpm record on Record Store Day in the US and Europe and physical copies have sold out.