Samson And Delilah

Reverend Gary Davis was ordained in 1933 and refused to play secular blues, but his guitar technique was the definition of the Piedmont style. Operating out of Harlem, he played with a thumb and index finger, creating complex, polyphonic arrangements that sounded like three guitars playing at once. This biblical tune shows how Davis utilized the blues structure (syncopated bass and bent treble notes) to deliver a sermon. He heavily influenced the 1960s folk revival, teaching this exact style to students like Dave Van Ronk.