AllMusic reviewer Lindsay Planer stated: "these sides loom large in the available works of seminal blues icons Pink Anderson and Rev. Gary Davis. Both performers hail from the largely underappreciated Piedmont blues scene – which first began to flourish in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – near the North/South Carolina state border. Anderson's seven tracks were recorded in Charlottesville, VA, on May 29, 1950 – while he was literally on the road. His highly sophisticated and self-accompanied style of simultaneously picking and sliding – accomplished using a half-opened jackknife – could pass for an electronic effect. ... The Rev. Gary Davis side – which appropriately contains all spirituals – was recorded in N.Y.C. on January 28, 1956. However, Davis' delivery is steeped in the minstrel and street blues of his native Carolinas. Here is where the worlds of Davis and Anderson sonically intersect. As a performer, his clean and intricate acoustic picking and guttural vocalization stand as his trademark. Included here are several of the Reverend's most revered works".[3]
Track listing
All compositions are uncredited traditional blues/gospel except where noted