Fred McDowell AND Rev Gary Davis?

[bod]

Feel a bit slow on the uptake, but it has come to my attention that 'You Gotta Move' is credited to Fred McDowell AND Rev. Gary Davis - I love both, but wasn;t aware of any connection. Is there a story here? Did they work together much?

(I've tried to google it, but just keep coming up with the same credit to the same song)

[Michael Messer]

I don't think they had any connection. As far as I know, it is a traditional Spiritual song that both artists created their own versions and the publishing became a 50/50 split. I guess if the Rolling Stones hadn't covered it, nobody would have cared who wrote it. They are both great, but Fred's is the one!





Shine On
Michael

[slide496]

I wrote someone on one of the boards that I subscribe to last night who studied with Davis and he said about the same thing. Gospel standard predating the publishing credits. Coincidental adaptation. It was also recorded in 1959 by Brother Joe May and an article on that is CLICK HERE

[AlanB]

Sept 27, 2013 11:21:51 GMT slide496 said:

I wrote someone on one of the boards that I subscribe to last night who studied with Davis and he said about the same thing. Gospel standard predating the publishing credits. Coincidental adaptation. It was also recorded in 1959 by Brother Joe May and an article on that is CLICK HERE

FWIW, "You Gotta Move"c/w"When I Take My Vacation in Heaven" was recorded by Sister Rosetta Tharpe with Marie Knight and released on Decca 48161, 2nd May 1950. It was an instant hit reaching the top place in the gospel charts. During the latter part of the previous decade it been a firm favourite with audiences on her many tours etc. 

[bod]

Thanks. That makes sense.

Just looked up the Sister Tharpe and Marie Knight recording on youtube, listening to it and to Rev Davis certainly underlines how distinctive Fred McDowell's version was.



All of this brought to mind some of McDowell's banter with his audience (recorded Tacoma, 1971) which I previously took to be him cheerily relating how his manager, in London at the time apparently, intervened to make sure the Stones gave McDowell credit ("...'Where did you get that song at'... one of 'em said 'I don't know'..[so he said] 'sounds like one of Fred McDowell's songs'... so they went and got the album and said 'That's right, it is one of his songs...' ).

Listening again, well, I suppose it still reads like that, but the meaning of the plentiful laughter when he says at the start of the anecdote, 'the Rolling Stones, they recorded it... but, you know, they're real nice... giving me the credit for it, it's going in the name of Fred..' seems rather different. Maybe I get the joke now

[slide496]

I also read from some blurb bio that that's how he got royalties-second last paragraph.
CLICK HERE.

I may have read that from Dick Waterman who was his manager, as well but I good well could be wrong about that.

The relationship between the Stones and McDowell is referenced on page seven LOMAX BOOKLET LINK

[bod]

Sept 28, 2013 15:58:45 GMT slide496 said:

I also read from some blurb bio that that's how he got royalties-second last paragraph.
CLICK HERE.

I may have read that from Dick Waterman who was his manager, as well but I could be wrong about that.

Nice link, as it says there:

Legendary rockers the Rolling Stones were impressed with McDowell's early recording of "You Gotta Move." Strongly influenced by his style, they recorded their own version of the track on their Sticky Fingers album. When McDowell received his first substantial royalties from the song, it was the most money he had ever seen

No wonder he was laughing... But, actually, even though McDowell didn't write it, it is definitely his highly distinctive version they covered, they'd not have got their take without it, so I guess a person might argue he had a (moral) right to some royalties...