My introduction to Reverend Gary Davis (aka Blind Gary Davis) came from Godspeed You! Black Emperor, of all bands. An insert for one of their LPs featured an image of a train with the inscription “For The Reverend Gary Davis”. You might recognize the image from this here website, where it was featured for quite some time. Say No To The Devil was one of the first blues albums I ever experienced. It’s not Davis’ best (that would be Harlem Street Singer, which included both “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” and “I Am The Light Of This World”), but it is a stunning achievement in a genre that is filled with mind-blowing musicians and albums. “Bad Company Brought Me Here” ranks among Davis’ greatest accomplishments. His singing is firm, his 12-string licks are complicated (by my standards), and the lyrics demand your attention. It’s just a fantastic album filled with top-notch guitar playing and beautiful stories.
This album was ripped from the original Prestige Bluesville recording, so there are some pops and skips, as the record was a bit worn.
Rev. Gary Davis
Say No To The Devil
MediaFire Download Link
Tracklist:
01. Say No To The Devil
02. Time Is Drawing Near
03. Hold To God’s Unchanging Hand
04. Bad Company Brought Me Here
05. I Decided To Go Down
06. Lord, I Looked Down The Road
07. Little Bitty Baby
08. No One Can Do Me Like Jesus
09. Lost Boy In The Wilderness
10. Tryin’ To Get To Heaven In Due Time
