Over a year ago three kind members helped solve mysterious lyric mysteries for a compilation begun 4 years ago. Please contact me off line for your copies (including the esteemed Moderator!). What delayed the project was an enigmatic clue to a lost treasure: forgive the length, as this happens only once during our lives:
John Cohen hung around with Rev. Davis in the 1950s, taping him (on a Smithsonian CD - careful - some tapes played back at the wrong speed!). He met Alan Lomax and suggested he document Davis with his reel-to-reel deck, which few persons owned back then. Lomax told him not to bother, it had been taken care of. Years later, Cohen checks the archive of the late Lomax and cannot find any material on Davis. This implies Lomax having put him off to get to it someday, but this too hadn't happened. Not being one to accept such disastrous news, I contacted the archive and begged that they search everywhere possible, and Cohen was right - Lomax did not document Davis: his wife had! There was a 300 page typescript. With a background in anthropology and psychology, she was able to open him up, gaining his confidence in a way none of us ever would (how could we devote precious time away from lessons?) She had the courage to ask about his blindness, his abusive mother, the murder of his father, the worst racism he experienced, not to mention his personal philosophy. A great deal was on sex, but this was shortly before the Kinsey Report, so it was a matter of fascination, but ultimately not so interesting (boasting, cliches).
The archive permitted me to study and use excerpts for the CD liner notes, which expanded the booklet to 28 pages. It will soon be posted on the website (
www.arbiterrecords.com: and please bear in mind we are a non profit organization). You will be quite surprised by Davis' insight, wisdom, humor, and strength in having survived a series of hells.
Here is the info on the disc: note that the Leadbelly is from a 1941 radio broadcast, in modern sound! It is available from Forced Exposure, Qualiton.com and in a bit, Amazon.
Hoping you will enjoy,
best wishes,
Allan Evans
Mannes College of Music
& director Arbiter of Cultural Traditions
World Arbiter 2008: Lifting the Veil. Rev. Gary Davis & his Peers.
unissued recordings and 78 rpm discs from Harry Smith's archive (most in great condition)
Leadbelly:
1. Sermon on Pancakes*
2. The Blood?s Done Signed Your Name*
Rev. Gary Davis:
3. Come Down to See Me Sometime*
4. Lost John*
5. Soldier?s Drill*
Leadbelly:
6. Gallows Pole*
7. Leaving Blues*
8. Rev. Gary Davis:Slow Blues in E*
9. Big Bill Broonzy: Starvation Blues
10. Leola B. Wilson & Blind Blake:
Black Biting Bee Blues
Rev. Gary Davis:
11. Mountain Jack*
12. I Didn?t Want to Join the Band*
13. Buddy Boy Hawkins: A Rag
William Moore:
14. Raggin? the Blues
15. Old Country Rock
16. Gus Cannon & Blind Blake: Poor Boy
17. Ramblin? Thomas: Poor Boy
Charley Patton:
18. Mississippi Bo Weevil Blues
19. Screamin? and Hollerin? the Blues
Rube Lacy:
20. Mississippi Jail House Groan
21. Ham Hound Crave
22. Edward Thompson: Seven Sisters Blues
Ramblin? Thomas:
23. Hard Dallas Blues
24. Back Gnawing Blues
25. Sawmill Blues
* previously unpublished
