Kicking Mule

A nice compilation of folky blues guitar from Kicking Mule on the Sonet label from 1974. Some fine instrumental and a couple of vocal tracks including such notables as Rev. Gary Davies, Stefan Grossman, Woody Mann etc.

Wikipedia says of Rev. Gary Davies-

"Gary Davis was born in Laurens, South Carolina, and was the only one of eight children his mother bore who survived to adulthood. He became blind as an infant. Davis reported that his father was killed in Birmingham, Alabama, when Davis was ten, and Davis later said that he had been told that his father had been shot by the Birmingham High Sheriff. He recalled being poorly treated by his mother and that before his death his father had given him into the care of his paternal grandmother.
He took to the guitar and assumed a unique multi-voice style produced solely with his thumb and index finger, playing not only ragtime and blues tunes, but also traditional and original tunes in four-part harmony
In the mid-1920s, Davis migrated to Durham, North Carolina, a major center for black culture at the time. There he collaborated with a number of other artists in the Piedmont blues scene including Blind Boy Fuller and Bull City Red. In 1935, J. B. Long, a store manager with a reputation for supporting local artists, introduced Davis, Fuller and Red to the American Record Company. The subsequent recording sessions marked the real beginning of Davis' career. During his time in Durham, Davis converted to Christianity; he would later become ordained as a Baptist minister. Following his conversion and especially his ordination, Davis began to express a preference for inspirational gospel music."


Tracks are as follows -

1.Dave Laibman - Granpa Spells
2. Peter Finger - Second Love
3. Rev. Gary Davies - Let Us Get Together
4. Art Rosenbaum - Sallu Goodwin
5. Dave Evans - Sad Pig Dance
6. Larry Sandberg - Delta Swing
7. Dale Miller - Black Berry Rag
8. Peter Finger - Watchtower

Kicking Mule - Side Two