In the early 1990's, the great bluesman,
Pinetop Perkins, interrupted one of his shows at the now defunct Tornado Alley to ask a member of the audience join him on the piano. From the first table,
Daryl Davis rose and played the rest of the night with his mentor. For several years earlier, Mr. Perkins had selected the then 27-year-old Davis "to succeed him in the piano and vocal slot of the Muddy Waters Legendary Blues Band". For the rest of the evening, the two piano bluesman played selections from Muddy Waters and various Boogie Woogie compilations that I will never forget. Since then, I have followed Davis as he has performed in venues throughout the mid-Atlantic.
Davis' resume is impressive - he has played with such great artists as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley's Jordanaires, and The Coasters. He was also the featured pianist on Cephas & Wiggins' 1992 Grammy Award winning album, Flip Flop & Fly. Showing musical diversity - he scored the music to the popular children's story, Abigail. And in 2005 he won his first Wammie (Washington Area Music Awards) in the Roots Rock category which he followed in 2006 with a Wammie in the Blues/Traditional category.
Now on to the show. On most occasions Daryl Davis plays in smaller venues such as
Bangkok Blues so you have an excellent chance to see him up close. He alternates between traditional Chicago blues to crowd pleasing boogie. Lately he has been mixing in songs from his latest CD
American Roots
. Look for "Romp In The Swamp".
Besides being an extraordinary musician Mr. Davis is a respected author and speaker. After feeling the affects of racism while growing up, he decided to "understand the hate that is inherent in racism". He was able to interview Roger Kelley, then "Imperial Wizard" of the Klan in the state of Maryland, first by disclosing his race. After many encounters they developed a friendship and Kelley eventually quit the Klan. And othe "former members that left have given Davis their robes as a token of respect, and he keeps them as a reminder that he can make a difference". You can read about these exploits in his fascinating book,
Klan-Destine Relationships: A Black Man's Odyssey in the Ku Klux Klan
and in this
Washington Post article.
Fans of Daryl Davis will be able to re-live his days with the now 94 year old Pinetop Perkins as they join the fabulous
Nighthawks at
Glen Echo Park on March 15th. This should be an unbelievable show. I'll see you there.
There have been many excellent blues\rock musicians that have originated from the Washington D.C. area. Some have become national acts, but many have remained close to home - developing a solid local following. To supplant income, these artists pursue secondary careers. One such artist is Jimmy Cole; a popular musician at night, but construction worker by day. Unfortunately he had an accident and fell off a ladder - fortunately he has recovered. To help alleviate his medical bills several associates organized a fund raiser at the The State Theatre in Falls Church. The lineup was amazing - as several Washington D.C. based artists set aside their schedules and participated in the fund raiser. Jimmy Thackery opened the show, followed by Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen. Next was The Cathy Ponton King Band - which includes Dave Chappell, Ron Holloway, and Billy Starks. This was the first act I was able to see and what a performance. King shares the spotlight with her fellow musicians so there were plenty of solos by each band member. The Tommy Lepson Band followed and as usual guitarist John Bell was a crowd favorite. Lepson has that authentic blues vocals. In between these acts, Dave Chappell, Big Joe Maher, and in occasion, Daryl Davis entertained the audience as the "tweener" band. These three were worth the price of admission themselves and brought back many recollections of seeing Big Joe and the Dynaflows years ago. And the first I saw Daryl Davis - he was planning with Pinetop Perkins. What talent. Unfortunately I don't see a younger set coming along to replace them. Eventually Jimmy Cole and his band rocked the house, and I couldn't stay for the The Nighthawks finale. Yes, it was quite a lineup. All these artists have regular gigs around town, so check out the 219 Basin Street Lounge, The Matchbox, Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle, JV's Restaurant, Bangkok Blues, and other such venues. There is great talent in our own backyard.
