Guy Davis proves that the blues is something you need to feel deep in your soul. Though he was raised in a middle-class New York suburb, Davis is a pure bluesman. His guitar is soulful, his stories are genuine and charismatic, and his rough voice has the audience captivated every step of the way. He fits the old-blues persona so well that he performed Off-Broadway as Robert Johnson in "Robert Johnson: Trick the Devi," and won the Blues Foundation's "Keeping the Blues Alive Award" in 1993.

Guy Davis will perform with Tough Old Bird on Saturday, May 2, at Café Veritas, First Unitarian Church, 220 South Winton Road. 7:30 p.m. $10-$18. Cafeveritas.org; guydavis.com.