Guy Davis once said, 鈥淚 like antiques and old things, old places, that still have the dust of those who鈥檝e gone before us lying upon them.鈥�

Blowing that dust off just enough to see its beauty is something Davis has excelled at for more than 20 years of songwriting and performing. It鈥檚 no wonder his reverence for the music of the blues masters who鈥檝e gone before him has been evident in every album he鈥檚 ever recorded or concert he鈥檚 given.

Davis will take the stage at the Old Church Theatre in Courtenay Oct.6.

Growing up in a family of artists (his parents were Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis), he fell under the spell of Blind Willie McTell and Fats Waller at an early age.

Davis鈥� much-praised 1995 debut, Stomp Down the Rider on Red House Records, marked the arrival of a major talent, earning acclaim for his deft acoustic playing, his well-颅鈥恡raveled voice and his literate, yet highly accessible songwriting.

He鈥檚 barely rested since then.

He鈥檚 spent his musical life carrying his message of the blues around the world, from the Equator to the Arctic Circle, earning him the title 鈥淎n Ambassador of the Blues.鈥�

Davis has had his musical storytelling influenced by artists like the above-mentioned Blind Willie McTell and Big Bill Broonzy, and his musicality from artists as diverse as Lightnin鈥� Hopkins and Babatunde Olatunji. However, there鈥檚 one man that Guy most credits for his harmonica techniques, by stealing and crediting from him everything that he could, and that man is the legendary Sonny Terry.

Guy鈥檚 album, Sonny & Brownie鈥檚 Last Train 鈥� A Look Back at Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry鈥�, is an homage to these two hugely influential artists, not only on Guy鈥檚 career but to thousands of musicians around the world.

He calls himself a blues musician 鈥搕o him, the blues is a broad title that includes some ragtime, a nod to New Orleans, a nod to the fife and drum players, and tunes that make you want to dance. And he always combines modern with traditional blues, the somber and the celebratory. That鈥檚 all we need.

Tickets are available at www.oldchurchtheatreshows.com