Wild Bill Davis

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Wild Bill Davis and Chubby Jackson while performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival (1979)

Wild Bill Davis (actually William Strethen Davis) (* 24. November 1918 in Glasgow , Missouri ; † 17th August 1995 in Moorestown in New Jersey ) was an American jazz - organist , pianist and arranger .

Live and act

Wild Bill Davis played piano and guitar and arranged with Milt Larkins in 1940. From 1945 to 1947 he played piano with Louis Jordan's Tympany Five . He specialized in the Hammond organ in 1949 and was the first soloist on this instrument in 1951 in his own trio with guitarist Bill Jennings and drummer Chris Columbus. Davis became one of the pioneers of the Hammond organ as a major jazz instrument in the 1950s and inspired Count Basie , among others , to take an interest in this instrument. His trio arrangement of the title April in Parisis based on the famous 1955 recording by Count Basie. Among his own numerous trio recordings, Things Ain't What They Used To be and Make No Mistake (1950) with Duke Ellington and Jo Jones should be highlighted. Davis also made recordings with Ray Brown and Milt Jackson , Ella Fitzgerald , Johnny Hodges , Gloria Lynne , Floyd Smith and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson .

In the 1960s Davis worked with his own bands, at the same time he recorded with his friend Johnny Hodges records, played again from 1969 to 1971 with Duke Ellington . In the 1970s he recorded a number of swing records for the Black & Blue Records jazz label, played with Lionel Hampton , and appeared at festivals in the early 1990s.

Discography (selection)

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personal data
SURNAME Davis, Wild Bill
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Davis, William Strethen (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz and blues organist
DATE OF BIRTH November 24, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH Glasgow (Missouri)
DATE OF DEATH 17th August 1995
Place of death Moorestown , New Jersey