Reviewed by Tony Cummings

After Peter, Paul & Mary's rendition of "Samson & Delilah" rescued this aged blues gospel man from abject poverty, streams of white folk musicins poured to Gary's New York home to learn some of the dazzling guitar licks that flowed from the good reverend's gnarled fingers. Not only that but his career took an unexpected upturn as witness this performance, recorded live at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Here he shows all his guitar virtuosity of swing and syncopation on instrumentals like "Buck Dance" and "Twelve Sticks" while his gravelly, pickled-in-brine voice is a quintessential blues experience which makes most white boys sound like gauche beginners. This set has been lovingly remastered from the original tapes and though the two previously unreleased tracks are below parr, his stunning version of the haunting classic "I Will Do My Last Singing In This Land Somewhere" is worth the cost of the album alone.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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