Geater Davis – I’m So In Love With You b/w A Whole Lot Of Man – Soul4Real ESP 7″

Here we have two slabs of hard-hitting southern soul. With their grit-infused vocals, tasty guitar and swelling horns, they should appeal to all who enjoy their soul with a touch of blues.

Geater (pronounced JEE-ter) was born in East Texas as Vernon Davis in 1946, took childhood guitar lessons from T-Bone Walker, did stints as a sideman with Ted Taylor and Eddie Giles, and labored in Shreveport’s club scene before finding success with his first record, “Sweet Womans Love”, in 1970. He made the charts again in 1972 with “Your Heart Is So Cold” on John R’s Seventy 7 Records. The songs on this disc, unreleased at the time, are from Geater’s sessions for that label.

Two modest hits provided years of one-nighters across the South, until the “disco crisis” (his words) dried up work for real musicians. He kept at it, though, in Jackson, Columbus, Little Rock and Dallas. Set for a career rebirth, Geater had studio time booked when his heart gave out at age 38.

JEFF KUHN