Guy Davis
A photograph taken around 1960 appeared recently at Ebony magazine\u2019s website featuring renowned actors and activists Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee with their three kids at an anti-war protest. One of those kids \u2013 about six years old \u2013 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.\xa0
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 \u2013 takes a bit of a backseat. We\u2019d 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\xa0duo 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.
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