The audience at the well-filled Lied Center came primed for gospel Wednesday evening, welcoming with prolonged and enthusiastic applause the first Lawrence appearance of The Blind Boys of Alabama. The group did not disappoint, demonstrating the ability that has won it a Grammy three years in a row for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album, with another nomination pending for this year’s Grammys on Feb. 13.

Founding members Jimmy Carter, George Scott and leader Clarence Fountain, backed by drummer Ricky McKinnie, bassist Tracy Pierce, and guitarists Joey Williams (lead) and Bobby Butler (rhythm), gave the audience 90 minutes of gospel without an intermission. The Blind Boys switched tempos and styles with ease. Leading off at a slow bluesy pace, they sang “Bloodshed is Given Up for Peace,” following by the up-tempo “Down by the Riverside,” and then covered Nat King Cole’s “Looking Back (I’d Never Make that Same Mistake Again).”

The three founders are in their 70s but still display amazingly strong voices and astonishing energy. The audience began to hear the unbelievable three-octave range of Fountain’s bass voice, descending to a low C in Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready”; and later, when the spirit took tenor Carter, he bounced and whirled like a junior high cheerleader.

The group’s one a cappella number, the moving “Deep River,” was a beautiful and powerful demonstration of the harmony the group has achieved after more than 60 years of practice. A perennial favorite, “Amazing Grace,” was set with surprising effectiveness to the melody of “The House of the Rising Sun,” retaining its dignity even in this unexpected company. And as the evening continued, the audience heard gospel as funk (“Somebody’s Gone”), gospel as rockabilly (the familiar but transformed “Do Lord Remember Me”), and gospel as R&B (Fountain’s solo encore, “Don’t Make a Waste of Time”).

It goes without saying that there was plenty of gospel as gospel, spectacularly so in the show’s climax, “Look Where He Brought Me From,” which rocked on for close to a quarter of an hour and included the rapid-fire volubility of Scott and the trademark excursion into the audience of Carter, whose ability to hold a raspy note for the better part of a minute brought the audience to its feet. This number also featured plenty of call-and-response, and the audience had no trouble getting into the spirit, answering Carter’s “Do you feel good?” with repeated boisterous shouts of “Yeah!” The final song, “I’m So Glad,” gave each of the band members time for a solo riff.

Bernard Shaw observed that one could not achieve the style of Giotto’s paintings unless one had Giotto’s beliefs. The beliefs of the group were frequently mentioned during the evening, and well-received by the audience. It seems a foregone conclusion that in order to sing gospel like the Blind Boys, one would need their beliefs — as well as their unique vocal instruments and 66 years of singing together.

Dean Bevan is professor emeritus of English at Baker University. He can be reached at bevan@ku.edu.