- David and the Giants
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David and the Giants Origin Laurel, Mississippi, United States Genres Contemporary Christian, Christian rock, rock Years active 1963–1999 Labels Myrrh Website www.davidandthegiants.com Past members David W. Huff
Rayborn Huff
Clayborn Huff
Lance Huff
Keith Thibodeaux
Gerald Hagan
Owen HaleDavid and the Giants began as a rock band in Laurel, Mississippi; with the Huff brothers: David, Clay, and Ray—with Jerry Parker on drums, touring the Southeast during the 1960s. In 1977 they switched to a Christian rock format.[1] They continued to sing and record together through 1999.[2] Recording and performing together for almost 40 years, the band released 17 albums.[3] Though the band's style has been compared to that of Mylon LeFevre and Broken Heart, their most commercially successful work came in the 1960s with a sound, augmented by The Muscle Shoals Horns, that closely resembled that of Jay & the Techniques.[4]
Contents
Musical career
Beginning at the beginning
The band released its first single, a cover version of "Rockin' Robin" around 1964, under the name of Little David & the Giants. In 1969, Keith Thibodeaux (best known as "Little Ricky" from I Love Lucy) joined the band.[5] His arrival marked the beginning of the band's most commercially successful era.[6] Although band members often described their sound as having its roots in Southern rock,[7] the band's most successful recordings became popular in England in the 1970s and 80s as Northern soul - songs that featured a mixture of a Top 40 sound with horns and strings.
In 1969 they achieved regional success in the southeastern US with singles of that genre entitled Super Love and Ten Miles High. Their work of that era was distributed in both the United States and in Great Britain.[8] Super Love, Ten Miles High and some of the band's other late sixties singles have appeared on various genre compilations.[9] In the early 1970s, the band performed in concert with such notable acts as Styxx, Black Oak Arkansas, Cheech and Chong, and Chuck Berry. David Huff was in the studio with The Rolling Stones when they recorded the song, "Brown Sugar", and also spent some time in the studio with artists such as Stevie Wonder and Rod Stewart.
Going it alone
In 1977, the band members converted to Christianity.[10] That same year they released their first Christian album, Song of Songs. Released without label support, it contained ballads and a mixture of pop rock. Their second album, This One's For You had a similar sound. Two years later, the band recorded Step in My Shoes. Devoid of up-tempo songs, the album was not commercially successful. For their fourth album, the band returned to a sound much closer to their musical roots. Almost Midnight, a rock album, was more successful than the first three. They continued with that sound for their fifth attempt, entitled Heaven or Hell.[11]
Back in the public eye
In the 1980s, the band signed with Priority Records. The first release, entitled simply David and The Giants was widely distributed and sold well. The band's next album, Riders in the Sky, contained concert staples like "Step by Step", "King of the Jews", and "Look at the People." The band released another album, called Inhabitants of the Rock, which though not commercially successful, contained the radio releases "I Can Depend on You" and "I Am Persuaded." It went out-of-print in the early 1990s. Two more albums followed, Under Control and Magnificat. Both were well-accepted by fans. The band concluded the 1980s with Strangers to the Night and R U Gonna Stand Up.
Time to do something else
In the 1990s, the band was not commercially successful. Though they had three hits from their albums, "Stumbling Block To A Stepping Stone", "I'm Still Rocking", and "Always On My Mind," their most successful album had been Angels Unaware.[12] By 1997 the band had been on the road for almost 30 years and decided it was time to do something else.[13] At the end of the year, the band ceased to record and perform together.[14]
And life goes on
David Huff continues to perform as a solo act and operates a recording studio near Atlanta, Georgia.[15] He has released a series of solo albums, Really in 2000 and Proclaim in 2003,[16] which was re-released by Christian Records in 2004, then Let My Guitar Talk, an instrumental album in 2008, and Do You Know What I Mean in August 2008.
The Huff brothers occasionally perform together as David and The Giants. On December 9, 2007 they joined former drummer Keith Thibodeaux for a reunion concert at Emmanuel Praise Church in Monroe, Georgia.[17]
David and the Giants discography
Singles (secular)
- 1963-4: “Rockin' Robin”
- 1967: “On Bended Knee” (Amy)
- 1968: “Ten Miles High” (Capitol)[18]
- 1968: “Super Love” (Crazy Horse)
- 1968: “Love 'em and Leave 'Em” (Capitol)[18]
- 1970: "Super Good Feeling" / "Letter To Josephine" (Fame Records)
Albums
- 1977: Song of Songs (Song of Songs)
- 1978: ‘’This Ones for You (Song of Songs)
- 1979: Step In My Shoes (Song of Songs)
- 1980: Almost Midnight (Song of Songs)
- 1981: Heaven or Hell (Song of Songs)
- 1982: David and the Giants (Priority)
- 1983: Riders in the Sky (Priority)
- 1984: Inhabitants of the Rock (Myrrh)
- 1985: Under Control (Myrrh)
- 1987: Magnificat (Myrrh)
- 1988: Strangers to the Night (Giant)
- 1989: R U Gonna Stand Up (Giant)
- 1990: Distant Journey (Giant)
- 1992: Long Time Coming (Giant)
- 1993: Giant Hits (Giant)
- 1995: Angels Unaware (Giant/Benson)
- 1996: Dream (Giant)[19]
David Huff solo albums
- 2000 - Really (Giant)
- 2004 - Proclaim (Giant)
- 2008 - Let My Guitar Talk (Giant)
- 2008 - Do You Know What I Mean (Giant)
Members
- 1963–1999 David W. Huff – guitar, vocals
- 1963–1999 Clayborn Huff – bass guitar
- 1963–199– Rayborn Huff – keyboards
- 1969 Greg Crowe – drums
- 1973–1974 Ray Hair – drums
- 1977–1979 Gerald Hagan – piano
- 1977–1979 Owen Hale – drums
- 1977–’76, 1979–’89 Keith Thibodeaux – drums
- 1989–1999 Lance Huff – drums
- 1994–1999 Dennon Dearman – bass guitar
References
- ^ See, https://www3976.ssldomain.com/giantworld/store/albuminfo.cfm?albumID=47
- ^ The Secular Days
- ^ Though many of the earlier albums are no longer in production, Giant World has re-released all of the band's albums on CD. See, https://www3976.ssldomain.com/giantworld/store/pdstore.cfm?artistID=3
- ^ "David and Giants to play", Peoria Journal Star, 1991-07-26, p. D4., See also, http://www.ricklevy.com/jay/
- ^ See, Edwards, Elisabeth, I Love Lucy: Celebrating Fifty Years of Love and Laughter, Philadelphia, Running Press Book Publishers, (2001), p. 260, found online at http://books.google.com/books?id=dxXi48fFF3gC&pg=RA1-PA260&dq=David+and+the+Giants+Mississippi
- ^ "ACTOR LED ROCK BAND TO CHRIST", Frank Roberts, The Virginian-Pilot, September 25, 1994. Horning, Jay. "TV's 'Little Ricky' now a Christian rocker", St. Petersburg Times, 1989-05-07, p. A6.
- ^ "Night of Joy", Orlando Sentinel, 1985-09-01, p. 8.
- ^ Released both in the US and UK by Capitol, See, 15915 DAVID & THE GIANTS Ten miles high / Super love 4/5 http://www.soul-source.co.uk/rare-northern-soul-words/rare-northern-soul-articles/capitol-info-and-listing-by-pete-smith, and see, Northern Soul Top 500, listing Super Love as #151, at http://www.topdeadcentersc.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=2931&sid=0647930f87bbf6a337f38bcc286f664a, and at http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/northern_soul_top_500.htm, See Also, entry at Soulful Kind of Music, http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/davidgiants.htm, and see, Smith, Pete, How the Mags Saw the 70s, online at http://www.soul-source.co.uk/rare-northern-soul-words/rare-northern-soul-articles/how-the-mags-saw-the-70s-pete-smith, and also, a list of charted 45s at http://www.rockinvinyl.com/page/CHART45_A_F.html
- ^ The house band at Wigan Casino, a popular club in Manchester, England that played Northern soul, included their version of Super Love on an album, which they recorded under the name Wigan's Ovation, See, http://soultrain.freehostia.com/Wigan.htm, See also, the compilation recording The Wigan Story Continues noted online at http://www.badabingcdrt.com/catalog/item/574886/1836632.htm, The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music, online at http://www.heybabydays.com/bands.htm
- ^ See, http://www.lucyfan.com/keithtib.html
- ^ See, Billboard Guide To Contemporary Christian Music, p.154, found on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=VzFZZ4yi3DMC&pg=PA154&lpg=PA154&dq=david+and+the+giants+mississippi&source=bl&ots=zsp08SaOjT&sig=4c5E3I3GiAFPs-V-fgsIzQA6ewg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result
- ^ Beal, Jim Jr. "Christian rockers to play at Trinity", San Antonio Express-News, 1996-03-27.
- ^ See, Keep On Singing My Song, an interview with David Huff, The Servant, February 2007, accessed online at http://www.angelfoodministries.com/theservant/2007-02%20Servant.pdf
- ^ See, Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music, p. 154, found on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=VzFZZ4yi3DMC&pg=PA154&lpg=PA154&dq=david+and+the+giants+mississippi&source=bl&ots=zsp08SaOjT&sig=4c5E3I3GiAFPs-V-fgsIzQA6ewg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result See also, The Servant, February 2007, found online at http://www.angelfoodministries.com/theservant/2007-02%20Servant.pdf
- ^ See, http://www.huffrecording.com/
- ^ See, Review, Christianity Today, found online at http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2004/proclaim.html
- ^ You can watch Keith Thibodeaux playing at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXYEeQHrdL0
- ^ a b http://davidandthegiants.com/_wsn/page3.html
- ^ See: http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/davidgiants.htm
External links
Categories:- American Christian musical groups
- American Christian rock groups
- Musical groups from Mississippi
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