Davy Graham: Folks, Blues and Beyond

There’s almost nothing in the music of Pentangle, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, or any of the members of those groups that wasn’t directly inspired by one larger-than-life guitarist named Davy Graham. As the young man at the center of London’s burgeoning folk and blues scenes, Davy was chosen by the producer Ray Horricks to be promoted for stardom. Horricks apparently believed that Graham’s erratic behavior was attributable to youthful high spirits (we were decades away from the word “autistic,” a bit of which surely affected the London-based genius), and he stuck with his choice even after Davy refused to sing a note on his first record date. The resulting The Guitar Player remains the record that John Renbourn, the late Bert Jansch, and dozens of other guitarists have named as their favorite, but it has never had a wide audience. Told the next year (1964) to either sing or find another producer, Davy demonstrated considerable vocal ability on Folk, Blues and Beyond, delivering a mix of blues, jazz, pop, and traditional material with authority, but what elevates it to the level of classic is that breathtaking guitar style. British folk rock and “folk Baroque” all starts here. Lovingly reissued on 180- gram vinyl.