Daryl Davis Tonight in D.C.



Tracy A. Woodward, Washington Post

 HERE's a story from The Washington Post about Daryl Davis's show tonight at the Carter Baron Ampitheater in Washington, D.C.  Davis has backed Chuck Berry along the eastern seabord for 31 years, and shared piano duties at Berry's recent show at Washington's Howard Theatre.  The money quote about our hero:

"Davis learned from one of the masters of changing things on the fly: Chuck Berry. Davis has been playing with the rock-and-roll pioneer for 31 years, often sharing the stage with Berry when he makes his way to the East Coast (including as recently as an April gig at the Howard Theatre). To play that long with Berry is a testament to Davis’s talent, as Berry doesn’t tolerate players who don’t know his material or aren’t able to keep up with him onstage.

“'But he’s right, though!' Davis says of Berry’s demands for perfection. 'That’s rock-and-roll. If you can’t play Chuck Berry, you can’t play rock-and-roll! He invented it -- it’s only three chords! Who cannot play ‘Johnny B. Goode’?'"