“Harlem Street Singer” by Blind Gary Davis - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1961Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s

TJR says

The full session for this album was recorded on August 24th, 1960, with the blind Reverend taking just three hours to lay down his acoustic finger-pickin’ licks and impassioned vocal spirituals that range from the mournful to the joyous. The album was released early in 1961 on Prestige Bluesville (re-issued a few years later as “Pure Religion” – and not to be confused with “Pure Religion and Bad Company”!) 10 of the 12 songs were making their album debut, with only “Samson And Delilah” (essentially a version of Blind Willie Johnson’s “If I Had My Way I’d Tear That Building Down”) and “Twelve Gates To The City” (another reinterpreted traditional) having appeared on his LP discography before – both on his “American Street Songs” LP in 1956. At least 3 of the others were re-recordings of songs that he’d previously recorded in the 1930s. Never completely thrilling – but the 64 year old was in pretty good shape on this crisp and cleanly recorded set…

The Jukebox Rebel
15–Sep–2009

Tracklist
A1 [04:05] 5.8.png Reverend Gary Davis - Samson And Delilah (Traditional) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
A2 [03:11] 5.6.png Reverend Gary Davis - Let Us Get Together [album version ’61] (Traditional, Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
A3 [02:56] 5.7.png Reverend Gary Davis - I Belong To The Band - Hallelujah! [album version ’61] (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
A4 [02:59] 6.4.png Reverend Gary Davis - Pure Religion (Traditional) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
A5 [04:05] 5.9.png Reverend Gary Davis - Great Change Since I Been Born (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
A6 [04:46] 6.0.png Reverend Gary Davis - Death Don’t Have No Mercy (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
B1 [03:11] 5.4.png Reverend Gary Davis - Twelve Gates To The City [1960 recording] (Traditional, Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
B2 [02:57] 6.2.png Reverend Gary Davis - Goin’ To Sit Down On The Banks Of The River (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
B3 [03:48] 5.6.png Reverend Gary Davis - Tryin’ To Get Home (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
B4 [04:20] 6.0.png Reverend Gary Davis - Lo I Be With You Always (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
B5 [03:36] 5.8.png Reverend Gary Davis - I Am The Light Of The World [album version ’61] (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
B6 [03:30] 5.4.png Reverend Gary Davis - I Feel Just Like Goin’ On (Gary Davis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues

© The Jukebox Rebel 2005-2020 All Rights Reserved