Garland Jeffreys at City Winery

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, biracial singer and songwriter Garland Jeffreys was already singing when he attended university in Syracuse, New York, a school he selected because Jackie Robinson had attended there. Once back in New York City, Jeffreys sang in Greenwich Village folk clubs, and became among the first artists to sing about race relations, sometimes utilizing blackface masks and a rag doll named Ramon in performance. In 1969 he founded the short-lived Woodstock-based Grinder's Switch; when the band dissolved in 1970, Jeffreys resumed his solo career. His blend of rock, reggae and soul was perpetually critically-acclaimed but never sold well; his best-known song, "Wild in the Streets," has been covered many times, however. Jeffreys' 14th album, 14 Steps to Harlem, was released on April 28, 2017.

As tonight's concert at City Winery began, Garland Jeffreys introduced his daughter, 22-year-old Savannah Rae Jeffreys, then left the stage as she crooned two sweet songs, the first played solo on piano and the second backed by her dad's band. From there on, her dad marched into a fiery performance beginning with an enthralling interpretation of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" and ending with the Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man." Between those bookends, Jeffreys seemed to marry literary and musical visions as he sang original songs that spoke of personal life challenges, societal strife and the unique realities the New York experience. Even when his profound lyrics lilted to the bittersweet, his gutsy vocal delivery resonated with resilience. "Wild in the Streets," a song Jeffreys wrote after hearing about a pre-teen rape and murder, rocked harder with a guest appearance by British guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. Still rocking at 74 years old, Jeffreys proved to be a first-class yet underrated artist who modestly lives in a legacy that is straining to be revealed to the masses.

Visit Garland Jeffreys at www.garlandjeffreys.com.

Setlist:

1. A Song for You (Leon Russell cover)
2. The Contortionist
3. Oceana
4. Reggae on Broadway
5. When You Call My Name
6. Venus
7. Wild in the Streets
8. Christine
9. 96 Tears (? and the Mysterians cover)
10. Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll (tagged with "I Loves You, Porgy" by Nina Simone)
11. (Unknown)
12. (Unknown) (tagged with "Exodus" by Bob Marley & the Wailers)
13. R.O.C.K.
14. Mystery Kids (tagged with "It Happened In Monterey" by Frank Sinatra)

Encore:

1. 'Til John Lee Hooker Calls Me
2. I'm Waiting for the Man (The Velvet Underground cover) (dedicated to Laurie Anderson)