Rev. Gary Davis: Blues & Ragtime - COMPACT DISCS

Title: Blues & Ragtime
Artist: Rev. Gary Davis
Label: Stefan Grossman's
Product Type: COMPACT DISCS
UPC: 725543175625
Genre: Blues
Release Date: 2019-06-21
Number of Discs: 1

Reverend Davis is one of those figures whose creativity covered such a wide range that one can come back again and again and always find something new. This release certainly proves that. There is only the one gospel song, but the interplay between voice and instrument can be heard on songs like Hesitation Blues and Candyman. The ragtime and blues playing here are definitive examples of American guitar, i.e. Walkin' Dog Blues, Twelve Sticks, Buck Rag, Buck Dance. There is hokum hilarity and novelty (the slide on Whistlin' Blues) to balance the sheer instrumental force. And there is a lot more: Little Boy, Little Boy Who Made Your Britches is a song that might slip through the cracks on a compilation like this, but a careful listen reveals a piece that is so unique it is hard to categorize.

Tracks:
1.1 Walkin' Dog Blues 5:10
1.2 Cincinnati Flow Rag 4:40
1.3 She's Funny That Way 7:01
1.4 Whoopin' Blues 4:06
1.5 Twelve Sticks 2:50
1.6 Children of Zion 5:03
1.7 Buck Rag 2:40
1.8 Hesitation Blues 11:52
1.9 C-Rag 2:58
1.10 Baby, Let Me Lay It on You 3:48
1.11 Cocaine Blues 2:24
1.12 Buck Dance 2:54
1.13 Candyman 2:57
1.14 Wall Hollow Blues 3:55
1.15 Little Boy, Little Boy Who Made Your Britches 2:45
1.16 Whistlin' Blues 6:53

Audio Sample:
All soundclips are provided by Tidal and are for illustrative purposes only. For some releases, the tracks listed may not accurately represent the tracks on the physical release.