Rudy Van Gelder Records Gary Davis "One of the Last of a Long Line of Religious Street Singers"
a stirring record that surely influenced more commercial folksters
If you're expecting a primitive "field recording" you'll be disappointed by this influential set performed by the sixty four year old ordained minister and recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, August 24th, 1960 at his then year old Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey studio. Twenty numbers recorded in three hours, with the exception of one, all first takes. twelve of which are on this record.
The annotation by Larry Cohn suggests that "Pure Religion is "perhaps the most widely known of the songs here recorded", but within two years by far the best known song on this record would be "Samson and Delilah" better known as "If I Had My Way", and popularized by Peter, Paul & Mary on the group's eponymous debut album that reached #1 on the Billboard charts and remained there for a month. The annotation notes that years earlier the song was popularized by Blind Willie Johnson, who recorded it in 1927 but the credits on the PP&M album attribute the song to Davis.
Gary Davis's version is impassioned and bluntly delivered, but on the tame side compared to PP&M's ferocious, almost scary high energy take, brilliantly recorded dry by the late Bill Schwartau who makes it sound as if microphones had been planted in the trio's mouths. Peter Yarrow's recent passing had me pulling this record from the "to listen" pile and putting it on top.
"Twelve Gates To the City" was another well known tune sung around that time at summer camps throughout the northeast. According to the annotation, Davis born in South Carolina in 1896, was a well-regarded blues guitarist before becoming an ordained minister in 1933. In 1935 he recorded "a series of remarkable recordings for the now defunct Perfect label", which brought him to the attention of the record buying public but he could more easily be heard singing on the streets of Harlem for free.
Twenty five years later he performed these songs at Van Gelder's. The annotation says Davis shared the concert stage with Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, probably in the 1940s. His two finger guitar work makes it sound as if three or more are on the strings.
It's a powerful performance and one Van Gelder captured well in mono. A worthy addition to the Bluesville reissue series and one worth owning.
