Topic: Little Sam Davis

[oddenda]

Attention, W.C.s -

          From other sites I have picked up that Little Sam Davis (MS-born) has suffered a stroke (no comment) and is in hospital in "upstate" New York. I met Sam through the late Dan DelSanto and recorded him in an acoustic setting in Sam's Poughkeepsie apartment w. Dan on guitar - Sam also plays guitar, left-handed. A fine harp player who recorded in the 50s with Earl Hooker in Florida (for Henry Stone), Sammy has a Delmark CD, plus one self-issued. He's 80 years old, and REALLY good. Val Wilmer did a nice piece for MELODY MAKER back when she did one on me... I took her to Smitty's outside of New Paltz, NY specifically to hear him. She described him as the second coming of Little Walter!  

          http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article.../ENT04/81024014

will get you to the piece in the local newspaper, with photo.

yrs,
     Peter B.

[Bunker Hill]

Somewhere I have that MM feature by Val, I'll see if I can locate it.

More recently there was a really nice feature on him by Doug Price and Paul Secor in the Xmas 1995 issue of Blues and Rhythm. I think he was on the cover of that issue.

[Bunker Hill]

         http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article.../ENT04/81024014

Due to its length the url seems to have been truncated try so this http://tinyurl.com/6clf52

[uncle bud]

Snappy dresser too!

[oddenda]

I think it's interesting that the newspaper of his former home-town ran such a long piece on him. My, how the times have changed in Poughkeepsie, NY since I left the area! I hope Bunker Hill can locate that Val Wilmer piece on Sam, too. For a long time Davis disappeared, the direct result of his wife's death. He was playing at Smitty's outside New Paltz, and received a telephone call that his wife had died in hospital - he had been to visit her that afternoon. I was there that night and I watched a man completely fall apart in front of my eyes... I will never forget the poignancy and feeling of despair of that... and a feeling of being unable to DO anything. He tried to keep it together for a while, with the help of [the late] Little Eliot (Lloyd), but basically fell into a bottle and washed away. It took a chance hearing of Doug Price's blues radio show on WVKR when he played Sam's Trix 45, and some of the stuff for Henry Stone: Doug asked the microphone if any one knew where Sammy was. A listener called in and eventually got the two of them together - Sam was back! While Val may have gone overboard comparing him to Walter Jacobs, she wasn't that far off the mark! I hope he'll be back in good health a.s.a.p.

Peter B.

[dj]

I think it's interesting that the newspaper of his former home-town ran such a long piece on him. My, how the times have changed in Poughkeepsie, NY since I left the area!

As someone who's still in the area, I'd have to say they haven't changed all that much.  The piece was web only.  At least I never saw it in the print edition of the paper.  If it hadn't been for the Levon Helm association, I doubt the article would have appeared even on the web.  Sorry to be such a curmudgeon.

[oddenda]

dj -

Still, for whatever reason, he got some notice in The Journal in SOME format - too many have gotten no notice at all... ever! Levon Helm and The Band had planned on taking up with and touring with Rice Miller (SBW II), stymied by his death. Levon has had his health problems, and it's a good thing that once recovered that Sam was the next harp cab off the rank! Deservedly. Sam's recordings with Earl Hooker for Henry Stone (in FL) are around on various re-issues - four tunes. His excellent Delmark CD is readily available, while there is also a more recent CD, a DIY effort. He's quite good, folks, so give him a listen. I trust he's on the mend. I'll check w. Doug Price.

Peter B.

[Bunker Hill]

Sam's recordings with Earl Hooker for Henry Stone (in FL) are around on various re-issues - four tunes.

They're really good just Sam, Hooker and unidentified drummer. It wasn't until the 70s that Nighthawk and Mamlish between them first made the sides available. Check out Stefan's discographies of those two labels. A few years back there was a compilation of Henry Stone recordings (on Ace I think) which included them.