Guy Davis

Whether he is performing on TV for Conan O’Brien, on nationally syndicated radio programs such as “A Prairie Home Companion, in front of 15,000 people on the main stage of a major music festival, or teaching an intimate gathering of students at a music camp, bluesman Guy Davis feels the instinctive desire to give each listener his ‘all’. His ‘all’ is the Blues. The routes and roots of his blues are as diverse as the music form itself. It can be soulful, moaning out a people’s cry, or as playful and bouncy as a hayride. Guy can tell you stories of his great-grandparents and his grandparents, their days as track linemen, and of their interactions with the infamous KKK. He can also tell you that as a child, raised in middle-class Westchester County, the only cotton he’s picked was his underwear up off the floor. He’s a musician, composer, actor, director, and writer. He’s appeared on television, in film, on the stage, both with and without his famous actor-activist parents Ruby Dee and the late Ossie Davis. But most important, and Guy Davis is a bluesman. For the past decade, he has concentrated much of his efforts on writing, recording, and performing music. Since 1995, he has released seven critically performing music acclaimed records. His latest album, “Legacy” was picked as one of the Best CDs of the Year by National Public Radio (NPR). Of the numerous compilation and tribute albums that he has contributed to, Guy is proudest of his contribution to “I Will Be Your Friend: Songs and Activities for Young Peacemakers”, in which Guy contributes the title track. The CD is part of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s national “Teaching Tolerance” (www.tolerance.org) campaign.