Search - Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Gary Davis :: Harlem Street Singer

The Best Davis Introduction Available

07/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My collection includes all of The Reverend's recorded works. If you are going to buy just one Davis disc -- or if you are looking for a good introduction to this Blues/Ragtime master, "Harlem Street Singer" is unquestionably the best choice. The recording captures Davis at his most passionate vocally and at this top of his game as a gutarist. A lot of his early work suffers from poor recording technology, however this disc sounds like it was cut in a 21st Century studio.I'm not a religious person, but Davis' music is almost enough to send me running to church. The piercing conviction of the lyrics and sycopated guitar in Twelve Gates, Great Change and Samson and Deliah still send chills of guilt up my spine."

As good as it gets.

Charles A. Cooper | Jacksonville, Florida USA | 09/05/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you enjoy both blues and gospel music, you will discover on this CD that for Reverend Davis there is no distinction between the two forms. Samson and Delilah and Death don't Have No Mercy were tunes that influenced The Grateful Dead and other Rock bands, but here you get the full, original impact of these songs. Reverend Davis was without question one of the greatest blues guitar stylists ever, and this album captures some of his strongest recorded work. The importance and beauty of this recording cannot be overemphasized!"

"Blues" finds its hope in "Faith" via blind guitarist...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 01/04/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Gary Davis was born blind, black, and broke in South Carolina in 1896. Big obstacles, but he also was blessed with talent and got paid for his guitar-pickin' by the time he was a teen. Ordained as a minister at age 36, he changed his song inventory to Gospel and hymns exclusively. He ended up in NYC, performing at mostly Black churches and on the streets. In the late '50's, the "Folk Revival" of blessed memory provided him a brief celebrity beyond those venues. This album was recorded in 1960 at the Jersey jazz studio of the legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder. You get 44 minutes of soul survival stuff here, and any blues buff ought to own it. The more casual fan may have to listen a few times to really like Gary's vocals, but his guitar work is fun from the first chord. The recording quality is excellent. To me, the only flaw is that each song would have benefitted from one fewer sung verse, and one more instrumental passage. It's not that Gary's voice is any more rough than other bluesmen. The problem is that the lyrics of these church songs belabor the point and get a bit repetitious. Still, he was one of the best of his kind. Imagine him at 64, alone in the recording booth for three hours, doing 20 songs, of which these are supposedly the best takes of the best 12. He had not recorded anything in four years: in fact, he had only recorded in 1935, '54 and '56 prior to this August 24, 1960 session. On that day, Kennedy and Nixon were running for president, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Yankees were heading toward a classic World Series, and I was living about 40 miles south of the studio, getting ready to begin 11th grade. Rev. Davis was doing something more important: preserving the Black church songs of early 20th century for posterity."