Reverend Gary Davis
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Reverend Gary Davis ("Blind Gary Davis", April 30, 1896 – May 5, 1972) was an African American blues and gospel singer and guitarist. His fingerpicking style was extremely influential; his students in New York City in the 1960s included Jorma Kaukonen, Stefan Grossman, Roy Book Binder, Woody Mann, and Ernie Hawkins.
He was born in Clinton, South Carolina and became blind soon after birth. He took to the guitar and assumed a unique multivoice style, playing not only ragtime and blues tunes, but traditional and original tunes in four part harmony. Following his ordination as a Christian minister, his preference was clearly for inspirational gospel. He migrated to New York City in the 1940s and by the 1960s he had become known as the Harlem Street Singer, and the person to see if you wanted to learn how to play guitar. He achieved serious recognition during the folk revival of the 1960s, with an appearance at the Newport Folk Festival and the recording by Peter, Paul and Mary of "Samson & Delilah", also known as "If I Had My Way," a song he had popularized to some extent after learning it from the Blind Willie Johnson recording. His musical influence extends throughout modern American music from the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan to Keb Mo, Olabelle and Resurrection Band.
The principal biographer of Gary Davis is Robert Tilling, author of "Oh, What a Beautiful City! A Tribute To Rev. Gary Davis," Paul Mill Press, 1992. Other resources include "Ragtime and Gospel", Woody Mann, Oak Publications, 2003.
Discography
Many of the records were published posthumously.- Little More Faith, Bluesville, Dec. 1961
- Blind Reverend Gary Davis, Bluesville, Oct. 1962
- Pure Religion, Command, July 1964, (re-released in 1970s by Prestige)
- Blind Reverend Gary Davis, (different album of same name), Prestige, May 1964
- Singing Reverend, Stimson, (with Sonny Terry)
- Guitar & Banjo, Prestige, 1970s
- Ragtime Guitar, Kicking Mule
- Lo I Be with You Always, Kicking Mule
- Children of Zion, Kicking Mule
- Let Us Get Together, Kicking Mule
- Lord I Wish I Could See, Biograph
- Reverend Gary Davis, Biograph
- Compilation CD in 1991: Pure Religion and Bad Company
External links
- [RevGaryDavis.com], a site devoted to Gary Davis.
- [RoyBookBinder.com], Roy Book Binder's official site.
- [Davis biography on AllMusic.com]
References
- Irwin and Lyndon Stambler, Folk and Blues, The Encyclopedia, New York, St. Martin's Press, 2001
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