More Information About Blues Musician Guy Davis' Family Entertainment Show

Description

Guy Davis is a musician, composer, actor, director, and writer. Yet the blues are Davis’ true love. Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to reviving the traditions of acoustic blues and bringing them to as many ears as possible through the material of the great blues masters, African American stories, and his own original songs, stories, and performance pieces.  <p>The son of actors Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, his influences are varied. Musically, he enjoyed such great blues musicians such as Blind Willie McTell, Skip James, Manse Lipscomb, and Mississippi John Hurt, among others. But it was through Taj Mahal that he found his way to the old time blues. His writing and storytelling have been influenced by Zora Neale Hurston, Garrison Keillor, and by the late Laura Davis (his one hundred and five year-old grandmother).</p> <p>Though raised in the New York City area, he grew up hearing accounts of life in the rural south from his parents and especially his grandparents, and they made their way into his own stories and songs. Davis taught himself the guitar, never having the patience to take formal lessons, and learned by listening to and watching other musicians.</p> <p>Davis has produced seven albums, including his most recent Legacy, which was picked by National Public Radio as one of the Best CDs of the Year (2007). Davis has also written and recorded several children’s songs with Dr. John for Whoopi Goldberg’s “Littleburg” series on Nick Jr.</p> <p>Guy Davis’ performances kick-off Olney Theatre Center’s 2008 Family Entertainment Series. The remainder of the series is composed of Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia: The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites and Cinderella and Her Sisters -- a collection of the beloved fairytale from around the world.</p>

About the Ticket Supplier: Olney Theatre Center

Located just north of Washington, D.C. in arts-rich Montgomery County, Maryland, Olney Theatre Center for the Arts offers a diverse array of professional productions year-round that enrich, nurture and challenge a broad range of artists, audiences and students. One of two state theaters of Maryland, OTC is situated on 14 acres in the heart of the beautiful Washington-Baltimore-Frederick "triangle," within easy access of all three cities.

An award-winning regional theater, Olney Theatre Center operates under an Actors' Equity Association Council of Stock Theaters (COST) contract, one of only three theaters in the country to operate under such a contract.

In addition to its mainstage season, which emphasizes 20th-century American classics, new works, area premieres, reinterpretations of classics and musical theater, OTC offers a wide range of programs and affiliations including: National Players, America's longest running classical touring company (since 1949), which performs for high school and college audiences in over 25 states; Potomac Theatre Project, which offers experimental and alternative plays that explore provocative and challenging human situations, ideas and visions; special school performances of mainstage shows; a free Summer Shakespeare Festival; and post-show discussions.