Andrew Lardner

Samson and Delilah, by Rev. Gary Davis

Added 2023-05-01 13:30:59 +0000 UTC

Friends:

Welcome back for another important dive into the past. This month we look at Gary Davis' arrangement of "Samson and Delilah" as performed in 1967. The piece is considered "traditional," but would most likely be credited to Blind Willie Johnson as he first recorded his version in 1927. Following Gary Davis' recordings and performances of the piece in the 60s, it went on to inspire many other artists to cover the tune during the folk boom. I have always wanted to play this piece with the same level of panache as he does. I'm hoping to get there someday!

This is my most detailed Gary Davis transcription to date - no easy task given the complexity of his left hand voicings, and I continue to look for a system that makes these easier to understand on paper. For now, all of the "note 1,2 etc." in the score will refer to something that requires additional explanation, I suggest you refer to the lesson video for these parts.

I spent the majority of the month adding as much detail to the transcription as I could, as well as trying to get the piece under my fingers. I look forward to revisiting this post in the coming weeks to fill in additional bits of detail that help outline its genesis and importance. I hope this transcription sets a new standard in terms of materials that accurately represent Davis' contribution to the guitar.

Here is the link to the lesson video: https://youtu.be/Cg4jzvtYmFI

My YouTube recording is above, and the tablature is attached below.

Have fun!