Reverend Gary Davis

Reverend Gary Davis ( born April 30, 1896 in Laurens, South Carolina, † May 5, 1972 in Hammonton, New Jersey) was an influential and technically outstanding blues guitarist.

Biography

Gary Davis is completely blind during his childhood. He taught himself guitar, banjo and harmonica. He first joined parties in his hometown on, then he moved to Durham, North Carolina and lived there as a street musician. To 1927, he was a Baptist minister, hence the title Reverend ( priest / pastor ).

Beginning of the 30s he met Blind Boy Fuller. With him he made in July 1935 his first recordings for AMC in New York.

In 1942, Gary Davis and his second wife to New York. From the mid- 1950s he recorded for various labels and left his rich repertoire consisting of blues and gospel music.

He was given the folk revival "rediscovered" and musicians such as Stefan Grossman, Ry Cooder, Jerry Garcia, Jorma Kaukonen and David Bromberg learned from him. Cover versions of his plays took, inter alia, Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary on. The song " Cocaine " by Hannes Wader is a German adaptation of "Cocaine Blues" by Davis.

On the way to a gig Gary Davis suffered a heart attack. He died on the William Kessler Memorial Hospital. His grave is in the Rockville Cemetery, Lynbrook (NY ). Posthumously, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2009.

In contrast to most finger pickers he only played with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand. Stylistically, he is one of the ragtime guitarist.