Description
A musical exploration of the close ties between gospel music and the blues. It includes classic tracks by blues legends Skip James, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Bukka White and features the legendary guitar evangelists Blind Willie Johnson and Reverend Gary Davis. Lovingly remastered using pioneering restoration techniques. Includes a FREE download card.
Although the blues and gospel music of the African American in the pre-war era seem quite distinct, they were essentially two sides of the same coin. Both genres shared the same longing for a better life and an almost blind hope in deliverance and redemption.
Ultimately famed for his devils music, Blind Lemon Jeffersons version of All I Want Is That Pure Religion was one of two recordings from his first session in 1926 which were gospel songs, released under the name Deacon L. J. Bates. Later that year Blind Joe Taggart and Edward W. Clayborn were the first genuine guitar evangelists to record. Clayborn only performed gospel tunes but Taggart also recorded secular music under a number of different pseudonyms. The success of these early recordings led to other singer-guitarists being sought out and recorded.
Undoubtedly, the most technically adept of the true guitar evangelists was Reverend Gary Davis, whose incredible ragtime-infused style has been a huge inspiration to guitar fingerpickers ever since. Davis was an important inspiration to the folk music revival alongside other featured bluesmen such as Skip James (who was later ordained as a minister) and Bukka White.
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