Release Date: February 25, 2003.
Recording Time: 69 minutes.
Recording Date: 1953.
Release Info: Studio Recording (SFW40123).
When young John Cohen went to the home of Reverend Gary Davis in early 1953, Cohen could not have known the importance of the recordings he made. These historic recordings of the Reverend predate his seminal albums and feature Davis singing with his wife and another preacher, a rarity among Davis recordings. The 18 tracks provide a window into the world of this blind preacher caught between the blues and the church. Fans of Davis's work will find theese recordings to be a revelation, as a full ten songs were never recorded again and cannot be heard elsewhere. (Smithsonian Folkways, 2003)
Credits:
Design, Layout - Visual Dialogue;
Liner Notes (Additional Notes On Song Sources) - Horace Boyer;
Liner Notes (Edited By) - Carla Borden;
Management (Production) - Mary Monseur;
Mastered By - Pete Reiniger;
Recorded By, Producer, Liner Notes (Annotated By), Photography By - John Cohen;
Supervised By (Production) - Atesh Sonneborn, Daniel Sheehy;
Vocals, Guitar - Reverend Gary Davis.
Tracklist:
01. If I Had My Way - Reverend Gary Davis
02. If The Lord Be For You - Reverend Gary Davis
03. Twelve Gates To The City - Reverend Gary Davis
04. You Got To Move - Reverend Gary Davis
05. We Are The Heavenly Father's Children - Reverend Gary Davis
06. A Friend Like Lonely Jesus - Reverend Gary Davis
07. Get Right Church - Reverend Gary Davis
08. Marine Band - Reverend Gary Davis
09. Shine On Me - Reverend Gary Davis
10. There's Destruction On This Land - Reverend Gary Davis
11. He Stole Away - Reverend Gary Davis
12. The Uncloudy Day - Reverend Gary Davis
13. Say No To The Devil - Reverend Gary Davis
14. I Belong To The Band - Reverend Gary Davis
15. Give Me A Heart To Love - Reverend Gary Davis
16. He Never Has Left Me Alone - Reverend Gary Davis
17. Got On My Traveling Shoes - Reverend Gary Davis
18. Civil War Blues - Reverend Gary Davis
Notes:
Song titles are approximate; no lists were made at the time of recording.
Recorded in 1953 on a 1/4 inch tape, reel-to-reel Pentron recorder, with the microphone that came with the machine.