DJ Spooky (Paul D. Miller): Songs of Solace: the music of Reverend Gary Davis

This talk by DJ Spooky (Paul D. Miller) is part of our online series: Reverend Gary Davis: In Search of the Harlem Street Singer. The New York Guitar Festival invited some of our favorite artists to explore the music of the blind blues musician Reverend Gary Davis. Rev. Gary Davis performed on the streets of Harlem from the late 1940s until his death in 1972. He is one of those curious figures in music history who should be famous, but who’s also a lot better known than you might think. Overcoming poverty, racial discrimination and blindness, Davis made influential recordings and festival appearances, and his songs have been covered by The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Peter Paul & Mary, and Bob Dylan. Davis himself recorded as Blind Gary Davis and Rev. Gary Davis – he was ordained as a minister in the 1930s – and the two names seem to reflect the two halves of his personality.  Religious imagery fills his songs, and his version of the blues is heavily colored by the sounds of early gospel music.  But his guitar picking had a strong ragtime feel, and Mr. Davis was known to be, shall we say, a very secular guy when Mrs. Davis wasn’t around.  We know this because for most of the 60s and until his death in 1972, his Harlem apartment became a pilgrimage site for dozens of young guitarists eager to learn from someone who had lived the blues and played them from birth.  David Bromberg, Stefan Grossman, Dave Van Ronk, and Bob Weir are just some of the many students who left his apartment with new skills and often colorful, and occasionally off-color, stories.  Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, is a composer, multimedia artist, and writer whose work immerses audiences in a blend of genres, global culture, and environmental and social issues. Miller has collaborated with an array of recording artists, including Metallica, Chuck D, Steve Reich, and Yoko Ono. His 2018 album, DJ Spooky Presents: Phantom Dancehall, debuted at #3 on Billboard Reggae. The NYGF and the performing artists are asking viewers to donate to MusiCares. Learn more about the charitable foundation of The Recording Academy’s MusicCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, and donate to help the music community affected by the pandemic, here:  www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/musicares-coronavirus-relief-fund Tune in each day at 4pm EDT on our YouTube channel beginning July 13th. PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: Discourse by DJ Spooky (Paul D. Miller)  - Monday, July 13 Jontavius Willis - Tuesday, July 14 Chris Thile - Wednesday, July 15 Jim James - Thursday, July 16 Dave Bromberg - Friday, July 17 Peidmont Blūz  - Saturday, July 18 TBA - Sunday, July 19 #NYGF2020 #HarlemStreetSinger #ReverendGaryDavis

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