November 2, 2011

Billy-'Guitar'-Davis-resize.jpg
Not exactly where you'd think a Deep Soul masterpiece would be lurking.


Sometimes discoveries pop up in the most unlikely of places. You wouldn't think of A&M Records as the place a true Deep Soul gem like "As I Grow Old" by Billy "Guitar" Davis would be found. But that's what happened.

Only one single by this artist came out on A&M. It may very well have been a "master purchase" from a studio or production company (a credit to Chris Productions on the label may be a clue), and one single was all that was offered. Sadly, it didn't chart and quickly joined the ranks of the largely forgotten until it was discovered by a group of hardcore Northern Soul collectors in England in the 1970's and has gotten a second life as an overlooked classic.

And classic it is. Released in 1969 and not seeing the official light of day as a reissue, here is Billy "Guitar" Davis and the memorable As I Grow Old.

Deep Soul Week continues.

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