Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis (* the 30th April 1896 in Laurens , South Carolina , † 5. May 1972 in Hammonton , New Jersey ) was an influential and technically outstanding Blues - guitarist and singer. In contrast to most finger pickerstoday, he only plucked with his thumb and forefinger, which was typical of the Piedmont Blues .
biography
Gary Davis was completely blind during his childhood . He learned to play guitar , banjo and harmonica by himself . First he performed at parties in his hometown, then he moved to Durham , North Carolina and lived there as a street musician. Around 1927 he became a Baptist preacher , hence the title Reverend ( pastor / pastor ).
In the early 30s he met Blind Boy Fuller . With him he made his first recordings for AMC in New York in July 1935.
In 1942, Gary Davis moved to New York with his second wife . From the mid-1950s he recorded for various labels and left behind his rich repertoire, consisting of blues, ragtime and gospel music .
He was "rediscovered" through the Folk Revival and musicians such as Stefan Grossman , Ry Cooder , Jerry Garcia , Jorma Kaukonen and David Bromberg learned from him. Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary recorded cover versions of his pieces . The piece Kokain by Hannes Wader is a German adaptation of the Cocaine Blues by Davis.
Gary Davis suffered a heart attack on the way to a gig. He then died in the William Kessler Memorial Hospital. His grave is in Rockville Cemetery, Lynbrook, NY . He was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2009 . In 2013 a documentary was made about his life and music.
Discographic notes
- Reverend Gary Davis 1935-1949 - Yazoo L 1023
- The Singing Reverend - Gary Davis & Sonny Terry - Stinson SLPX12 - 1954
- Gospel, Blues and Street Songs - Rev. Gary Davis and Pink Anderson - Riverside RLP 148 - 1956
- Pure religion and bad company - Folk Lyric FL125 - 1957
- Pure Religion - Prestige / Folklore 14028 - 1960
- A Little More Faith - Prestige / Bluesville - 1961
- Say No to the Devil - Bluesville 1049-1961
- Ragtime Guitar - Gary Davis & Stefan Grossman - Transatlantic TRA 244 - 1962 to 1970
- Children of Zion - Reverend Gary Davis in Concert - Transatlantic TRA 249 - 1962
- Let Us Get Together - produced by Stefan Grossman - Kicking Mule Records 1963–1968
- Lo 'I be with You Always - Kicking Mule Records 1959-1968
- Gary Davis & Short Stuff Macon - xtra 1964
- Rev. Gary Davis at Newport - Vanguard - 1966
- Blues and Gospel - Biographer - 1971
- Lord I Wish I Could See - with Larry Breezer g - Biographer - 1971
literature
- Robert Tilling (1992). Oh, what a beautiful city! A Tribute to Rev. Gary Davis . Paul Mill Press. ISBN 978-0-7866-8258-4 .
- by Schmidt, Eric (2008). Remembering Reverend Gary Davis. Sing out! 51 (4) 67-73.
- Ian Zack (2015). Say No to the Devil: The Life and Musical Genius of Rev. Gary Davis . University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-23410-6 .
Web links
- RevGaryDavis.com
- www.folkways.si.edu , Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
- Rev. Gary Davis at Allmusic (English)
- Biography at Cultural Equity
- Gary Davis at the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Davis, Gary |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues guitarist |
DATE OF BIRTH | April 30, 1896 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Laurens , South Carolina |
DATE OF DEATH | May 5th 1972 |
Place of death | Hammonton , New Jersey |