Date: Wed, 17 Apr 1996 09:23:48 GMT
From: Man of Peace (101514.1767@COMPUSERVE.COM)
Subject: Re: Gary Davis
glynne walley >BTW, I know nothing about Gary Davis. Was he really a
>Reverend? What's his story?
Rev. Gary Davis (or Blind Gary Davis, as he used to be called on his
earlier recordings) was born on Apr 30, 1896 in Laurens, SC, he died
on May 5, 1972 in Hammonton, NJ. Either blind at birth or partially
blind and losing his eyesight completely during his teens (details
about his early life are rather sketchy), he taught himself to play
harmonica, banjo, and guitar, performing for parties and picnics in
his hometown area before moving to Durham, NC, where he played blues
on streetcorners.
In the early 1930s, he turned to religious music and
was ordained as a baptist minister in 1933. In the mid-1930s, he
teamed up with Blind Boy Fuller in Durham. Both artists traveled to
New York City and recorded several sides for the ARC (=American Record
Company) label (a subsidiary of Columbia) in 1935. In 1940, Gary Davis
made New York City his permanent residence and subsequently made
numerous recordings for the Folkways, Stinson, Riverside, and
Prestige-Bluesville labels, while also preaching the gospel and
playing his songs in the streets of Harlem.
With his ragtime-flavored blues fingerpicking style, Gary Davis
influenced a lot of artists, most notably Stefan Grossman, Dave Van
Ronk, Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. He became a well-known figure in folk
circles and performed at all the major festivals in the early 1960s.
Dylan has covered several of his songs: "Jesus Met The Woman At The
Well" (on the 1961 East Orange Tape -- probably learned through Dave
Van Ronk), "Death Don't Have No Mercy" (on the May 1961 Minnesota
Party Tape), "It's Hard To Be Blind" ((aka "Lord, I Wish I Could See"
from Davis' 1935 ARC session -- on the May 1961 Minnesota Party Tape
and the Dec 1961 Minnesota "Hotel Tape"), "Candy Man" and "Cocaine"
(both from Minnesota "Hotel Tape").
I also see Davis' influence in Dylan's "All Over You" or "Suze" (The
Cough Song).
And a few bits of trivia from Robbie Woliver's "Hoot! A 25-Year
History of the Greenwich Village Music Scene":
BUFFY ST. MARIE: "I did a tour with Gary Davis, Paul Simon and
Ramblin' Jack. We did this tour by car. We were driving like heck
through these winding roads. Gary Davis couldn't see the turns, so
he'd be flying all over the place. When he finally got out of the car,
he kept saying, 'Free ar last. Free at last.'"
HERB GART: "Once, Buffy Ste. Marie was touring with Rev. Gary Davis,
and the Reverend was spending the entire tour trying to feel her up.
Pretending to fall out of the car -- whatever he could do."
PAULA BALLAN: "For a blind man he could sure find a woman's parts real
easy."
DANNY KALB: "I thought Rev. Gary Davis was absolutely the best
American overall guitarist. He's a total genius. If he had sight he
would have been more than a genius..." (pp. 45-46)
and one further Dylan connection:
WAVY GRAVY: "I was married by Rev. Gary Davis. Dylan was there.
Paxton. Van Ronk. And they all sang 'Just A Closer Walk With Thee...'"
(p. 134)
Sorry, if this got rather lengthy again.
- Man of Peace
article with picture (Roots of the Grateful Dead)
