Harlem Street Singer

Recorded and released in 1960, Harlem Street Singer is regarded as singer/guitarist Reverend ‘Blind’ Gary Davis’ masterpiece. It’s also a fascinating double time capsule. Firstly, it’s a window into the 1930s, Depression-era musical world of apocalyptic spirituals that birthed both Davis and Son House. All but three of the album’s 12 tracks are originals, with numbers like the timeless ‘Death Don’t Have No Mercy’ conjuring a haunting brimstone sincerity given full voice by Davis’ yearning cry. It’s not quite as Old Testament as Son House but it still feels like a blast of the ancients. It’s also a prime document of the American folk music revival that peaked in the early 1960s. Rather than sounding like a scratchy 78, this album was captured in pristine hi-fi by legendary recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, who was largely responsible for the Blue Note jazz label’s sumptuous sound. Stylistically, too, it hints of things to come. Davis’ virtuoso acoustic guitar playing – replete with jazzy chords and mellifluous picking – was an obvious inspiration for younger folkies like Davey Graham who, in turn, helped to lay the foundations for the rise of rock music. It’s no exaggeration to say that records like this changed everything.