Customer Reviews

Heroes of the Blues - The Very Best of Reverend Gary Davis

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The Reverend Gary Davis is one of the exemplars of the blues. Many of his songs have been picked up by other artists and groups. For instance, the Grateful Dead took his rendition of Samson and Delilah and made it one of their concert favorites. There are also many other blues and gospel songs to enjoy listening to. He sure plays the banjo and guitar with aplomb that preceded other great guitar players of the rock & roll and country traditions.

I have mentioned many of the old time black male country blues singers in this space, for example, Son House, Bukka White and Skip James. I have also mentioned the close connection between this rural music, the routine of life on the farm (mainly the Mississippi Delta plantations or sharecropping) and simple religious expression in their works. The blues singer under review meets all of those criteria and more. The Reverend Gary Davis, although not as well known in the country blues pantheon, has had many of his songs covered by the denizens of the folk revival of the 1960's and some rock groups, like The Grateful Dead, looking for a connection with their roots. Thus, by one of the ironies of fate his tradition lives on in popular music. I would also mention here that his work was prominently displayed in one of the "Masters Of The Blues" documentaries that I have reviewed in this space. That placement is insurance that that the Reverend's musical virtuosity is of the highest order. As an instrumentalist he steals the show in that film. Enough said.

Stick out songs here are the much-covered "Samson and Delilah", "Cocaine Blues" (from when it was legal, of course), "Twelve Keys To The City" and the gospelly "Blow Gabriel"

Powerful and electrifying, Rev. Gary Davis, master of the guitar, amongst other great bluesman of the genre, Rev. Davis stands alone, aside from his religious song structure, an innovater on guitar, a strong vocalist with immense intensity, the rev. draws the listener right into the heart of the song... the songs featured here are some of the Reverend's best recorded 1930's and early 1960's sides, listening, it won't be hard to tell the time frame, the audio is excellent throughout this sixteen song set from Shout Factory, singer/songwriter Jim Croce also has a few recordings on this label... notable songs: "Sampson and Delilah", "Twelve Gates To The City", "Death Don't Have No Mercy", "Candy Man", Davis does some fine instrumental work on the old blues standards, "Cocaine", "Can't Be Satisfied", listen for the prime banjo pickin' on, "Out On The Ocean Sailing"... Rev. Gary Davis, essential, educational blues listening for everyone and aspiring musicians... the Heroes Of The Blues booklet covers are not to photographic, Gary Davis resembles more a cartooned bad Leroy Brown than a bluesman, the liner notes inside are real imformative covering Davis' life and career with recorded dates of each song.

I learned about Reverend Gary Davis's music by listening to a Hot Tuna concert DVD. Jorma and Jack mentioned him in their interviews. I quickly found this cd at Amazon.com and enjoyed hearing the real thing from the reverend in a very good recording.