Rev. Gary Davis Albums (19)
'If I Had My Way: Early Home Recordings'
Release Date 2/25/2003
Tracks 18
Label Smithsonian Folkways
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What The Critics Say
Long before Christian rockers were using so-called "Devil's music" to promote a religious message, the Rev. Gary Davis demonstrated that acoustic blues and folk didn't have to be about matters of the flesh. Davis, a fascinating cult figure, was as authentic a blues/folk singer as Leadbelly, but he was also a Baptist minister -- and he managed to bring Christian-oriented lyrics to people who weren't necessarily religious. Davis didn't believe in preaching to the choir exclusively; blues and folk venues often became his "pulpit." This reissue focuses on Davis' appearance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival; by that time, he was 69, and many of the people who were attending his live performances weren't even born when he made his first recordings in 1935. Live at Newport isn't for gospel purists any more than it is for blues purists. Most of the performances (which find Davis accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and harp) are acoustic folk rather than actual 12-bar blues, and even though Davis picks a lot of songs that reflect his Christian beliefs (including "I've Done All My Singing for My Lord," "Twelve Gates to the City," and "Samson and Delilah"), he doesn't exclude secular material altogether. Eleven of the CD's 13 tracks originally appeared on Davis' old At Newport LP of 1967, although collectors will be glad to know that "Get Along Cindy" (a humorous vocal duet with Barry Kornfeld) and the instrumental "Soldiers Drill" are previously unreleased bonus tracks. Live at Newport is a highly soulful and rewarding document of Davis' late period. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'Reverend Gary Davis'
Release Date 6/26/2000
Tracks 19
Label Heritage
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'Live at Cambridge 1971'
Release Date 4/18/2000
Tracks 5
Label Catfish
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'Little More Faith'
Release Date 7/13/1999
Tracks 12
Label Original Blues Classics
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'Live & Kicking'
Release Date 11/18/1997
Tracks 10
Label Just A Memory
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'The Singing Reverend'
Release Date 1/1/1994
Tracks 16
Label Collectables
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'Rev. Gary Davis at Newport'
Release Date 7/1/1991
Tracks 11
Label Vanguard
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What The Critics Say
This is one of the few handful of recordings to feature the Rev. Gary Davis in concert. As the name of the project suggests, the proceedings were documented at the Newport Folk Festival in July of 1965. The Reverend's solo vocal is accompanied by his own six- and twelve-string guitar(s) as well as mouth harp. The repertoire incorporates a wide range of secular blues and sacred gospel. Davis' material is derived from his own writings and notable interpretations of folk and blues standards such as "Lovin' Spoonful" and "I Won't Be Back No More." Also featured are insightful readings of some of his best-known and loved religious sides -- namely "Death Don't Have No Mercy" and "Twelve Gates to the City." It is remarkable that although the Reverend was approaching 70 -- at the time of this recording -- his driving passion and verve are of a man half his age. The frenetic "Samson & Delilah (If I Had My Way)," the haunting "You've Got to Move," the high-spirited "Buck Dance," and "Twelve Sticks" are among the most passionate and emotionally charged selections available in his canon. This set provides the platform for Davis to raise them to an even greater exceptionally potent level. The clean and nimble fret and fingering that became his signature sound has arguably never been as direct and forceful. The two instrumentals best reveal this facet of his performance. Unlike a majority of the garden-variety studio renditions of these songs, there is an almost palpable sense of salvation and urgency in the concert recordings -- making them seminal installments of his musical catalog. In 2001, Vanguard reissued this title with "Soldier's Drill" and a rare duet vocal -- with Barry Kornfeld -- on the witty blues "Get Along Cindy." Get either, get both, just get it. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
'Pure Religion & Bad Company'
Release Date 1/1/1991
Tracks 17
Label Smithsonian Folkways
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What The Critics Say
This Rev. Gary Davis release has been issued throughout the world under a bevy of names and should not be confused with the Prestige disc simply titled Pure Religion. These recordings are notable for both their sacred and secular nature. Equally as interesting is the wide range of performance styles that the Reverend incorporates throughout this long-player -- the first full-length disc to do so. Among them are the rarely displayed preachin' blues of "Bad Company," "Runnin' to the Judgement," and "Pure Religion." Notable are the spoken introductions or talkin' blues recitation techniques, as well as the more obvious and overtly religious themes. Davis took his commitment to the Lord seriously and had become an ordained minister in the summer of 1937. His vehemence and compulsion to spread the word is a blatant motif that works on several simultaneous strata. In the musical parables of "Seven Sisters" -- which should not be considered a voodoo reference -- and "Right Now," Davis recalls the fatality of not rebuking sin with lyrics like the following: "Don't 'cha put off today for tomorrow -- for tomorrow may never be. Let the Saviour bless yo' soul, right now." This collection also includes a few equally heady instrumentals -- most notably "Cocaine Blues," "Buck Dance," and "Hesitation Blues." Davis' astonishingly potent guitar playing and conversational approach have arguably never been captured more aptly on record. The direct lineage to artists such as Dave Van Ronk, Jorma Kaukonen, Stefan Grossman, and Brownie McGee becomes infinitely clear. Their versatility in technique coupled with simultaneous chord strumming and picking can be sourced right here. "Moon Goes Down" is one of the more secular pieces and originates in the slave fields as a "holler." Davis' emotionally heavy performance and dirge-like chord changes rank the tune among his most emotive recordings. Pure Religion & Bad Company was amended with two additional and otherwise previously unreleased tunes -- "Time Is Drawing Near" and "Crucifixion" -- when the title was issued on CD in 1991. Both tracks are from the same June 1957 session documented by Tiny Robinson and Fred Gerlach in New York City. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
'When I Die I'll Live Again'
Release Date 1/1/1972
Tracks 24
Label Fantasy
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What The Critics Say
This two-fer offers Davis's best work of the '60s. ~ Richard Lieberson, All Music Guide
