June 2001

Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis: Live at Newport
Vanguard

By Bill Milkowski

Vanguard Records has released Reverend Gary Davis: Live at Newport, a collection of recordings from the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. A full-time street musician by the mid-1920s, Davis was basically rediscovered at this annual bash, which was the Woodstock for the growing folk-music revival of the early '60s. Included here are raspy, righteous renditions of "Samson & Delilah" (later recorded by Peter, Paul & Mary), "You Got to Move" (later recorded by the Rolling Stones) and the gospel-influenced "I've Done All My Singing for My Lord" along with two previously unreleased live tracks, "Soldier's Drill" and "Get Along Cindy."