Wild Bill Davis
Wild Bill Davis in 1954
Wild Bill Davis in 1954
Background information
Birth nameWilliam Strethen Davis
Born(1918-11-24)November 24, 1918
Glasgow, Missouri, U.S.
DiedAugust 17, 1995(1995-08-17) (aged 76)
Moorestown, New Jersey, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, arranger
Instrument(s)Piano, organ

Wild Bill Davis (November 24, 1918 – August 17, 1995)[1] was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis. He is best known for his pioneering jazz electric organ recordings and for his tenure with the Tympany Five, the backing group for Louis Jordan. Prior to the emergence of Jimmy Smith in 1956, Davis (whom Smith had reportedly first seen playing organ in the 1930s) was the pacesetter among organists.

Biography

Davis was born in Glasgow, Missouri, and grew up in Parsons, Kansas.[1] He first learned music from his father who was a professional singer.[1] He received further musical training at the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama, and at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas.[1] In his early career he took inspiration from Fats Waller and Art Tatum.[1]

Davis moved to Chicago, where he originally played guitar and wrote arrangements for Milt Larkin's big band from 1939 through 1942; a band which included Arnett Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, and Tom Archia on horns.[1] In 1943 he played guitar and wrote arrangements for Earl Hines.[1] Davis first worked as a pianist in Chicago with Louis Jordan and his band Tympany Five, whom he played with regularly from 1945 through 1949.[1] He played a crucial role as the pianist-arranger for that ensemble at the height of their success in the years 1945 through 1947.[citation needed] He also played piano in a recording with Buster Bennett in 1945.[citation needed]

After leaving Jordan and the Tympany Five, Davis pursued a career as an solo organist in 1950.[1] He moved to the East Coast.[citation needed] He also recorded again with Buster Bennett and worked with Claude McLin.[citation needed] In 1951 he formed the Bill Davis Trio (aka the "Wild Bill Davis Trio"), which consisted of Chris Columbus on drums and the left-handed guitarist Bill Jennings, that recorded for OKeh Records.[1][2][3] Davis continued to lead his trio for decades, with other musicians swapping in and out periodically. The trio would always include organ and drums with either guitar or double bass.[1] For decades his trio spent summers playing in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[1]

Davis was originally supposed to record "April in Paris" with Count Basie's Orchestra in 1955 but when he could not make the session, Basie used his arrangement for the full band and had a major hit.[1] Some musicians he did record with include saxophonists Frank Morgan (1955), Arnett Cobb (1959), and Johnny Hodges (1961, 1963–66); and singer Ella Fitzgerald (1963).[1]

In addition to working with his own group, Davis recorded and led tours with Duke Ellington from 1969 through 1971.[1] In the 1970s he recorded for the Black & Blue Records label in Paris with a variety of swing all-stars, including saxophonist and clarinetist Buddy Tate (1972); trombonist Al Grey (1972); saxophonist and blues shouter Eddie Vinson (1972); double bass player Slam Stewart (1972), tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet (1973), and tenor saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (1976).[1] He played with Lionel Hampton from 1978 through 1980.[1] The duo appeared periodically after at festivals through the early 1990s.[citation needed] In 1983 Davis recorded with French jazz saxophonist Guy Lafitte in 1983.[1] In 1987 he toured with trombonist Grover Mitchell and his band.[1] He also toured France with the ensemble '3 D' whose other members included French vibraphonist Dany Doriz and French drummer Michel Denis.[1] He appeared at many music festivals internationally during the 1980s and into the early 1990s.[1]

Davis died on August 17, 1995, in Moorestown, New Jersey.[1]

Discography

Wild Bill Davis (left) and double-bassist Chubby Jackson, North Sea Jazz Festival, 1979

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

With Ray Brown / Milt Jackson

With Billy Butler

With Arnett Cobb

With Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners

With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

With Duke Ellington

With Johnny Hodges

With Frank Morgan

With Floyd Smith

With Sonny Stitt

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Andrew Jaffe, revised by Barry Kernfeld (20 January 2002). "Davis, Wild Bill [William Strethen ]". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J114700. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
  2. ^ Company, Johnson Publishing (26 June 1952). Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. p. 62.
  3. ^ "Wild Bill Davis". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  4. ^ Lonergan, David F. (2005). Hit Records, 1950-1975. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5129-0.
  5. ^ Azure-te (Paris blues). Columbia. 1952. OCLC 747242499 – via WorldCat.
  6. ^ "Song: Azure 'Te written by Wild Bill Davis". SecondHandSongs.

External links

Duke Ellington
Authority control databases
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