Billy Davenport

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

Billy Davenport (* 23. April 1931 in Chicago , Illinois ; † 24. December 1999 ) was an American blues - drummer .

After finding a pair of old drumsticks on a street at the age of ten, Davenport decided to become a drummer. At first he only played old cans, but then he got real drum lessons at high school. He later played in various jazz bands. In 1949 he studied music for a year. He soon played with jazz greats such as Bob Hadley , Leo Parker , Neal Anderson , Tampa Red , Slam Stewart and Sonny Stitt . His early influences include Gene Krupa , Art Blakey , Louie Bellson, and Max Roach .

From 1951 to 1955, Davenport served in the US Navy. Since the interest in jazz decreased significantly, Davenport now saddled to the blues. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he starred with Howlin 'Wolf , Muddy Waters , Freddy King , James Cotton , Otis Rush , Billy Boy Arnold , Dusty Brown , Ernie Fields , Junior Wells , Mighty Joe Young , Little Mack Simmons, and others Syl Johnson .

In 1964 Davenport met Paul Butterfield . After Sam Lay left the Butterfield Blues Band in 1965, Davenport was his successor. After playing with BBB for three years, he left the music scene for the time being in 1968. But in 1972 he started playing again. Until 1974 he played with Willie Dixon , Jimmy Dawkins and Buster Benton, among others . He then retired again until he joined Pete Baron Jazztet in 1981 .