(JNi.media) Formed in 2007 as a Yeshiva University student vocal group, the Maccabeats have emerged as a Jewish a cappella phenomenon, with a large fan base, more than 20 million views on YouTube, numerous TV appearances, and four albums.
African-American vocal group Naturally 7, formed in 1999 in New York City, also use only their incredible voices, which they call they call “Vocal Play,” to simulate the sounds of an instrumental band.
Though the Maccabeats aren’t your grandfather’s synagogue choir, their ideology and identity play an important part in what they do. They are committed to the philosophy of Torah u-Madda, the integration of traditional and secular wisdom, and perform an eclectic array of Jewish, American, and Israeli songs.
Naturally 7’s performance of one of their song at a subway station has received more than four and a half million hits on YouTube alone, and people continue to discover the group every day.
The two boy bands’ newest video celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2016, and the Maccabeats said in a statement: “We consider ourselves very fortunate to join Naturally 7, one of the best musical acts of our day, in covering James Taylor‘s Shed a Little Light in honor” of the holiday.
