The lights came up on this enormous, curious looking, dapper blind man, who carried himself like a king. Using a piece of luggage as a stool, he complains that his driver has left him stranded at the train station. His voice is deeper than the La Brea tar pits, rich with mischief and strong emotion. He tells us his story, about his mama back in Texas, his friendships with other musicians and singers like Leadbelly, T-Bone Walker and Bessie Smith. He reflects on his travels, sharing juicy, somewhat shocking anecdotes with gusto and aplomb. He has a commanding presence, but savors life utterly, and wants us to feel that too. Never have I seen a man (the same size as me) shimmy with such confident, flamboyant agility. Like he’s intoxicated on the air.
This man is Blind Lemon Jefferson, legendary blues singer, born in 1893. Early in his career, he played the streets, picnics, birthdays. In front of a barbershop. Blind Lemon made his chops in the rough, Deep Ellum district of Dallas, where folks came to enjoy the nightlife (tarts, jazz, gambling) hopefully without danger to life and limb. Blind Lemon was ahead of his time, breaking new ground in the music industry. He sang blues and gospel, and recorded solo albums, performing his own songs, on blues guitar. Long Lonesome Blues, Matchbox Blues, and See That my Grave is Kept Clean were immediate hits. He made enough money to buy a car and hire a chauffeur. Back in the day, he and Leadbelly took the train, keeping each other company and in stitches. He was equally at ease, singing about the world of pain or Jesus in his heart.
J.Dontray Davis is Blind Lemon: captivating, startling, astonishing. Blind Lemon was known for his remarkable range, and Davis makes it happen. He wails, he bellows, he roars. One minute he sounds like a wiseass and the next a prophet and the next a mourner. What L. Dontray Davis does, as he details the tumultuous, somber, giddy, mortifying episodes in his career, is next door to miraculous. It’s a kind of sorcery, as if engaging with the elements. The experience is kept to a bare minimum: setting, props, instruments, simple and elegant. But what Director Akin Babatunde and Davis create is a forceful, gorgeous show that yanks everything strange and agonizing and fierce right out of you.
Undermain Theatre presents Lonesome Blues: playing September 1st-18th, 2022. Starring J. Dontray Davis, written by Akin Babatunde and Alan Govenar. 3200 Main Street, Dallas, Texas 75226. 214-747-5515. undermain.org