Larry Davis

Larry Davis - Sooner or Later - 1992 - Bullseye Blues

The late Larry Davis did not record many albums, during his lifetime, but his few releases were full of quality. His soulful voice, reminiscent of Bobby "Blue" Bland, and his Albert King flavoured guitar work brings out the best in tracks like "You'll Need Another Favor" or Larry's self penned "Goin' Out West". Larry Davis was a very underrated guitarist, and his best guitar work is arguably found on this album release. There is some terrific piano work from James Rudy, and the the trombone, trumpet, and sax work from the Memphis Horns, (Wayne Jackson, & Andrew Love) is wonderful. "Sooner or Later" is a great album, full of quality and class from this sadly missed bluesman. Buy Larry Davis' wonderful "I Ain't Beggin' Nobody" album, and try and find his rare "Ain't Beggin' Nobody" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

How Could You Do It to Me Milton Campbell
I'm Workin' on It David Dee
Penitentiary Blues Robert A. Johnson, Stan Mosley
You'll Need Another Favor Copyright Control
Help the Poor Charlie Singleton
Letter from My Darling McCoy Singleton
Goin' Out West, Pts. 1 & 2 Larry Davis
102nd Street Blues Larry Davis, Ron Levy
How Long Carl Burnett
Little Bluebird Isaac Hayes, Booker T. Jones, David Porter
Little Rock Larry Davis, Ron Levy

MUSICIANS

Larry Davis (Guitar), (Vocals)
Thomas Bingham (Guitar (Rhythm)
George Journigan (Bass)
James Rudy (Piano)
Ron Levy (Organ)
Curtis Steele (Drums)
Wayne Jackson (Trombone), (Trumpet) [The Memphis Horns]
Andrew Love (Sax (Tenor) [The Memphis Horns]

REVIEWS

Unless someone has the ultimate Larry Davis album still awaiting release somewhere, the late guitarist's final album also looks to be his best. Sumptuously produced by organist/Bullseye Blues boss Ron Levy with the Memphis Horns providing punchy interjections, Davis roars a finely conceived concoction of covers and his own material ("Goin' Out West," "Little Rock") that represent contemporary blues at its finest. © Bill Dahl, All Music Guide

Best known as the author of Stevie Ray Vaughan's hit " Texas Flood." Until his untimely passing in 1994, Larry Davis was widely recognized as a blues treasure, and this is one of his all-time best records. The late Arkansas native had been a widely-respected cult favorite in blues circles since his first records for Houston's Duke label years ago. In the late '60s, he began to develop a distinctive lead guitar style; he also played bass, touring in Albert King's band. In 1982, he won four prestigious W.C. Handy awards, including Artist of the Year. "Sooner or Later" was recorded in Memphis, and includes backing from the Memphis Horns. © Bill Dahl, All Music Guide

Larry Davis, whose "Texas Flood" was covered by Stevie Ray Vaughan, pledged truth to the blues as far back as the early 1950s, and it has been a long, arduous haul to the belated recognition rightfully accorded him by this recent Memphis soul/blues session. His tenor voice is genuine, unclouded, resilient, carrying the meaning of the words of, for example, Little Milton's Stax Records~-era "How Could You Do It to Me?" and heartsore Howlin' Wolf's 1954 song "Baby, How Long?" The interplay between his conscientiously played guitar and the irrepressible swell created by his skilled Tennessee sidemen further lends the tradition-bound material a new lease of believability. -- © Frank John Hadley 1993, [From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD] © amazon.com



SHORT BIO

Born: December 04, 1936, Kansas City, MO. Died: April 19, 1994, Los Angeles, CA. Anyone who associates "Texas Flood" only with Stevie Ray Vaughan has never auditioned Larry Davis' version. Davis debuted on vinyl in 1958 with the song, his superlative Duke Records original remaining definitive to this day despite Vaughan's impassioned revival many years down the road. Davis grew up in Little Rock, AR, giving up the drums to play bass. Forging an intermittent partnership with guitarist Fenton Robinson during the mid-'50s, the pair signed with Don Robey's Duke label on the recommendation of Bobby Bland. Three Davis 45s resulted, including "Texas Flood" and "Angels in Houston," before Robey cut Davis loose. From there, Davis was forced to make the most of limited opportunities in the studio. He lived in St. Louis for a spell and took up the guitar under Albert King's tutelage while playing bass in King's band. A handful of singles for Virgo and Kent and a serious 1972 motorcycle accident that temporarily paralyzed Davis' left side preceded an impressive 1982 album for Rooster Blues, Funny Stuff, produced by Gateway City mainstay Oliver Sain. But follow-up options remained hard to come by: few blues fans could find a copy of the guitarist's 1987 Pulsar LP I Ain't Beggin' Nobody. Finally, in 1992, Ron Levy's Bulleye Blues logo issued a first-class Davis set, Sooner or Later, that skillfully showcased his rich, booming vocals and concise, Albert King-influenced guitar. Unfortunately, it came later rather than sooner: Davis died of cancer in the spring of 1994. © Bill Dahl, All Music Guide