Boyd Rivers - You Can't Make Me Doubt

"First full length album by one of the greatest gospel musicians of all time! Boyd Rivers was an amazing but unfortunately, little known gospel artist. Comparisons could be made to Charlie Jackson, but in the end not too many people sound anything like Boyd Rivers. Side one features Boyd playing stunning electric guitar and belting out 6 incredibly heavy songs. Side two finds Boyd playing acoustic guitar - a bit mellower but still impassioned. All the material on this album has never been released, with the exception of 'Fire In My Bones' - the title track of the Case Quarter 3-CD gospel compilation. We are very proud to release this important document of a real visionary original. Includes liner notes by Amos Harvey. Old school 'tip on' cover." Amazon

Boyd Rivers - You Can't Make Me Doubt

Here is something from a backroads country church to light up your gospel Sunday.  One of the great mysteries to me is why Boyd Rivers, who possessed a truly great and unique county blues/gospel voice, hardly had a chance to record.  Alan Lomax was on to him in the 70s and documented him on a few tracks.  Rivers lived and performed well  into the 90s.  Yet only the German L+R label had the sense to allow him to record an album.  Where was Fat Possum when we needed it?

So this is it as far as Boyd Rivers albums go.  It is also a rare album that (I believe) never got an issue on CD, despite the fact that it is from the 1980s.  True, a few other Boyd Rivers tracks made it to a few compilations, most notably the Living Country Blues series.  Still...

Boyd Rivers was also a very powerful live performer, and was fortunately filmed in performance a number of times.  Some of the results are available on youtube.  Check this one out, for example:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCalc5JrDeM     Muddy Waters is my probably favorite blues singer, but if I were Muddy Waters and heard that, I would probably stop performing "You Got to Take Sick and Die" from that day on!

Sincerely,

Pres