Apr 12, 2017
A photograph taken around 1960 appeared recently at Ebony magazine’s website featuring renowned actors and activists Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee with their three kids at an anti-war protest. One of those kids – about six years old – is Guy Davis. He made the cardboard signs that the family is carrying. Guy Davis, now 64 years old, still has a lot to say as one of America's finest blues musician and folk singers.
Traditional acoustic blues is arguably the bedrock of American
popular music, but even in today's roots revival, the legacy of
artists like Robert Johnson, Blind Blake, Mississippi John Hurt –
takes a bit of a backseat. We’d have to talk about Taj Mahal and
Corey Harris. I had Rory Block on this show some time ago. Ben
Harper and Keb Mo keep traditional blues in their mix. Less
celebrated than he should be is Guy Davis.
His most recent album is a duo recording with Italian harmonica master Fabrizio Poggi on an album-length tribute to Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee. In our conversation, Davis talks about growing up at the epicenter of New York culture and how the ethos of engagement he learned from his parents is translating to the here and now.