Listening to Prestige 489: Reverend Gary Davis

LISTEN TO ONE

This is the second Prestige Bluesville session for the Reverend Gary Davis. He was billed for the previous one as Blind Gary Davis, which was also accurate, but his blindness is probably less significant in an understanding of his importance, when compared with (a) his spiritual message, and (b) his tremendous influence on younger blues guitarists, as discussed in my earlier essay.

Probably the best known of the gospel songs that Davis recorded on this day in Rudy Van Gelder's studio is "You Got to Move," a traditional spiritual that had first been recorded in 1944 by the Baltimore gospel quartet, the

Willing Four (not to be confused with a later gospel group, the Willing Four of Chicago). "You Got to Move" is probably best known to modern audiences from the 1971 version by the Rolling Stones, a virtually note for note cover of Mississippi Fred McDowell's 1969 recording. McDowell, in turn, followed a recording of the song by Davis, but not this recording. Davis had done it previously, in 1953, with Sonny Terry. His 1961 version of the song is more uptempo, which actually makes sense. If you've got to move when the Lord calls you, maybe you'd want to move to a rhythm like this. I've included a bonus Listen to One here--the 1953 version with Terry.

Listening to the 1961 Bluesville version, it's easy to tell why so many aspiring young guitarists made that pilgrimage to Harlem in the 1950s-1960s to study with, or at least get a few pointers from, the Reverend. His guitar sings, it rings, it talks, it moves. And that's true of every song on this album. Given its best possible showcase with the recording genius of Rudy Van Gelder, we can hear every nuance of one of the blues guitar masters.

The songs are mostly traditional gospel songs or original compositions by Davis, and if you had to guess which are which, you'd be hard pressed. His own songs have the depth and the spiritual fervor of songs that have moved the faithful for a hundred years. 

The one other modern composed gospel song is "I'll Fly Away," written in 1929 by Albert E, Brumley, and often noted as the most widely recorded gospel song of all time. Most commonly a bluegrass number, it adapts winningly to Davis's blues-gospel style.

"Motherless Children" is listed as "traditional" on the album's credits, but it was recorded in 1927 by Blind Willie Johnson, and may well have been written by him, at least in its current form. Other sources list Johnson as composer. It has also been widely recorded, though not nearly as widely as "I'll Fly Away." Bob Dylan, Steve Miller and Eric Clapton are among modern rockers who have taken it on. Rosanne Cash, Ralph Stanley, Lucinda Williams and others have done it from the country/bluegrass/Americana side.  It's another one that was first done on the 1953 Stinson album with Sonny Terry.

And I like the cautious hope expressed in "There's a Bright Side Somewhere" and "I'll Be All Right Someday."

The Bluesville album, produced by Kenneth S. Goldstein, was called A Little More Faith. "You Got to Move" and "I'm Glad I'm in That Number" were released as a 45 RPM single.