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Spotlight:The Lee Boys

“My father was a pastor and he got his music from his boys,” says Derrick Lee proudly. It was during their formative years playing at the House of God church in Perrine, Fla., that Derrick and The Lee Boys truly began. With elder brothers Alvin and Glen at the lead, every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, the boys were in front of a congregation performing sacred steel music, a style of African-American gospel named for its use of pedal steel guitars.

Even back then, there was always a little bit of funk in their gospel. “We’re sitting in church and we’re like, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute—you’re playing Stevie Wonder,’” Derrick laughs as he recalls the liberties Alvin and Glen took. “From the beginning, they were never traditional gospel steel players.”

As the brothers came of age in the ‘80s, Alvin recalls listening to Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder along with ‘70s funk and jazz stalwarts like Larry Graham and Stanley Clarke. “We’d be playing music in church and intertwining those styles,” he says, adding that ultimately, “we’ve always been a band that’s infused with blues and funk.” Yet, it would take a family tragedy for The Lee Boys to decide to spread their unique brand of gospel beyond the walls of their church.

“We lost my father in February 2000,” Derrick explains. “He was the patriarch of our family.” Gathering his words, he continues: “My brother, Glen Lee, was the head musically of our family and we lost him that same year, in October, to liver cancer.” Without their father’s cherished words and Glen’s pedal steel, the three remaining brothers reconsidered their musical future.

“It was really hard for me to continue to play,” Alvin says of that period. Derrick echoes his brother’s sentiments: “It was a little bit uncomfortable to go back.” It was then that The Lee Boys realized that the best way to begin healing was to move forward and share the celebration of sacred steel with the world.

The reborn Lee Boys—Alvin (guitar), Derrick (vocals), Keith Lee (vocals), and nephews, Roosevelt Collier (pedal steel), Alvin Cordy Jr. (bass) and Earl Walker (drums)—played their first official show in 2002. Over the course of the next decade, the band played hundreds of shows per year across America. Though they’re a “working class,” “blue-collar type of band” that’s jammed with Bob Weir, toured with Leftover Salmon and opened for Little Richard, their musical mission remains fueled by a higher calling.

“We have a message and that’s to touch people through our music,” says Alvin. And it’s with that sincerity of purpose that the Lees found themselves in New York City, jamming with destiny.

“I think our big year or the big ‘aha!’ moment came in 2008 when we were in Manhattan,” says Derrick. “We played a place called Sullivan Hall. It was a small gig that turned out to be one of the best shows we played.” In addition to Marco Benevento and Soulive’s Eric Krasno, Warren Haynes also joined The Lee Boys that onstage that evening. It would prove to be a fateful night, shaping not only the band’s future but also their next album.

“He put the pieces of the puzzle together,” Derrick says of Matt Grondin, the guitarist who initially approached The Lee Boys about recording their third release, Testify. And it was also Grondin who suggested contacting Haynes and guitarist Jimmy Herring about appearing on the release. “Warren’s like, ‘I love The Lee Boys! Yes—no problem!’” Derrick recalls, still humbled by the guitarist’s eagerness. He attributes Haynes and Herring’s willingness to the bond they forged during past shows.

Beyond just guesting on the effusively joyous “Praise You” and “I’m Not Tired,” Haynes would also sign The Lee Boys to his Evil Teen record label out of admiration for the group’s music and powerful message. “[ Testify ] is about the goodness of what God’s done for you,” says Alvin simply.

The Lee Boys are never too far away from their late father and brother as their new song “Always By My Side” affirms. Whether playing at church or touring America, they ask listeners to rejoice in the blessing of life. And, as they make clear, the blessing of life isn’t about faith but about love.

“We’re not really preaching religion,” Alvin explains. “It’s all about our music, making people feel good and hoping they can be touched.”