The Lee Boys

Tuesday, July 29 @ Georgia Theatre

originally published July 23, 2008

The Lee Boys have come to deliver us, Athens. No matter what your religious or spiritual background, your soul could certainly benefit from this family band's rousing performance. The Miami sextet rings with boundless energy as its bluesy gospel (known as "sacred steel") infuses numerous genres. The origins of sacred steel come from the steel guitar fad of the '30s when brothers Willie and Troman Eason used an electric lap steel guitar during their worship services at the House of God church in Jacksonville, FL. Over time, this soulful sound has become the hallmark of the Pentecostal congregation, and The Lee Boys are in fact part of the fourth generation of sacred steel musicians.

Regardless of whatever label you want to put on The Lee Boys, it just takes a quick skim down the band's tour history to understand their impressively broad appeal. The Lee Boys have played jam festivals, jazz festivals, gospel festivals and blues festivals, and their rhythmic praises seem to fit in seamlessly everywhere they go. Acclaimed artists as diverse as The Black Crowes, The Allman Brothers and Susan Tedeschi have all enlisted The Lee Boys as openers in the past.

You can leave your Sunday best at home tonight, though, and opt instead for some comfortable dancing shoes. Once that pedal steel starts sliding, there is a spark on stage that raises audiences up on their feet and throws arms up in the air. You can almost feel the weight rise up off your shoulders as that tender music starts to play.

By the end of this year, The Lee Boys will have played nearly 50 major festivals across the country. Athens is lucky tonight to have a more intimate performance at the Theatre. There's no opener on the bill and, best of all, the show is FREE! Hallelujah.

Michelle Gilzenrat