CORVALLIS, Ore. – “An Evening with Guy Davis,” a performance and conversation with blues guitarist, writer, actor and teacher Guy Davis, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, at the Majestic Theatre in Corvallis.

Davis’ appearance is part of the Oregon State University College of Liberal Arts’ “American Strings Series,” which celebrates America’s longstanding love for stringed instruments and roots music. The series was created by OSU’s director of performing arts, journalist and music historian Bob Santelli.

Throughout his career Davis has dedicated himself to reviving the traditions of acoustic blues through the material of the great blues masters, African American stories and his own original songs and performance pieces. Davis has collaborated with Dr. John, Levon Helm, Jethro Tull and his parents Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, among others.

Davis has released 12 studio albums, including his most recent, “Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train,” a collaboration with singer and harmonica player Fabrizio Poggi. He has been nominated for nine W.C. Handy awards, including Best Traditional Blues Album, Best Blues Song - “Waiting on the Cards to Fall” - and Best Acoustic Artist. His 2004 album “Legacy” was selected as one of the best albums of the year by National Public Radio, and the lead track on it, “Uncle Tom’s Dead,” was chosen as one of the best songs of the year.

He has contributed songs on a host of tribute and compilation albums, including collections on bluesmen Charley Patton and Robert Johnson, as well as the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan.

Davis has also pursued acting and writing. He made his Broadway musical debut in 1991 in the Zora Neale Hurston/Langston Hughes collaboration “Mulebone,” which featured the music of Taj Mahal. He wrote “In Bed with the Blues,” a one-man show that debuted in New York City in 1994, and the short story collection “Mudsurfing,” which won a Brio Award from the Bronx Council of the Arts in 1991.

He has also been involved in numerous projects for children, including residency programs at the Lincoln Center Institute, the Kennedy Center, the State Theatre in New Jersey and “Young Audiences of New Jersey,” and has conducted classroom workshops and assembly programs for K-12 and college students across the U.S. and Canada.

Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. OSU students will be admitted for free, one ticket per student with ID, while seats last. For additional information about the series or to purchase tickets, visit: http://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/american-strings-series.

The Majestic Theatre is located at 115 S.W. 2nd St., Corvallis. The show is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Arts and Communication at OSU.

College of Liberal Arts

About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts encompasses seven distinct schools, as well as several interdisciplinary initiatives, that focus on humanities, social sciences, and fine and performing arts. Curriculum developed by the college’s nationally and internationally-renowned faculty prepares students to approach the complex problems of the world ethically and thoughtfully, contributing to a student's academic foundation and helping to build real-world skills for a 21st century career and a purposeful life.

Story By: 

Erin Sneller, 541-737-5592, [email protected]

Source: 

Source: Bob Santelli, 541-737-1797, [email protected]

Multimedia: 

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