Dick Davis

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Dick Davis (* 15 April 1917 in Jackson (Mississippi) as Richard Earl Davis ; † 19th January 1954 in Chicago ) was an American jazz - and rhythm and blues - tenor saxophonist and bandleader.

Dick Davis grew up in Chicago after his family moved there in 1924. He graduated from DuSable High School in early 1938 and then worked as a professional musician, first in the formation Sunset Royals (1938). After World War II , where he headed his unit's dance band in the Pacific, he returned to Chicago and continued to work in the local club scene. From the beginning of 1946 he led his own band, which played in the Tradesmen's Show Lounge (6240 Cottage Grove Avenue) under the band name Richard E. Davis & His Westcoast Swingsters . After his engagement in Tradesmen's , he also appeared in the clubs Boulevard Lounge and Jimmie's Palm Garden . In June 1946 the first recordings were made for Miracle Records , which also represented the first releases of this label, "Blues in My Heart", a ballad that came from Benny Carter , and the instrumental number "Tenor-Mental Moods" based on "I Got Rhythm" ". Contributing musicians were George Rhodes (piano); Eddie Calhoun (bass) and "Little Jimmy" [Hoskins] (drums), plus tenor saxophonists Tommy "Madman" Jones and Eddie Chamblee .

At the next Miracle session, the Dick Davis band accompanied vocalist Rudy Richardson; here Sonny Thompson worked as a pianist. In early 1947 Dick Davis and his Swing Combo performed again in the Tradesmen's Lounge , in mid-1949 in the "Q" Lounge (114 East 43rd Street), in April 1950 in the Corner Lounge (1900 West Lake). After a foreign illness from September 1951 to the beginning of 1954, Dick Davis became a member of the King Kolax Band, with which a few more recordings were made before he died of pneumonia in January 1954 at the age of only 36 years .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Robert Pruter and Robert L. Campbell: Miracle Records ( Memento of the original of April 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / hubcap.clemson.edu
personal data
SURNAME Davis, Dick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Davis, Richard Earl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH April 15, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Jackson (Mississippi)
DATE OF DEATH January 19, 1954
Place of death Chicago