Wild Bill Davis

With the dynamic, swirling sounds of his Hammond B-3 organ, Wild Bill Davis provided a bridge from the big band swing of the 1930s and '40s to the organ-driven R&B of the 1950s and early '60s. Together with guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:3TLlmMS5DwcZMFMUbGsm7Y">Floyd Smith</a> and drummer <a href="spotify:artist:2Ge9Rh0m4QNqt9ReQN198O">Chris Columbus</a>, Davis set the framework for the jazz organ combo sound. Initially a guitarist, Davis made his debut with Milt Larkin's band in 1939. The group is remembered for the double-saxophone attack of <a href="spotify:artist:0R3bGv703d8JFKdZxsHr58">Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6ui4w9G4l3CxehFTGTQtPX">Arnett Cobb</a>. Davis, who was inspired by the guitar playing of <a href="spotify:artist:0MDZeGp2fFapBa7q260Qvs">Freddie Green</a>, remained with the band until 1942. Moving to the piano, Davis joined Louis Jordan & His Tympany 5 in 1945. By then, he had already attracted attention as a skilled writer and arranger. He later furnished original material and arrangements for both <a href="spotify:artist:4F7Q5NV6h5TSwCainz8S5A">Duke Ellington</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2jFZlvIea42ZvcCw4OeEdA">Count Basie</a>. He was scheduled to record his arrangement of "April in Paris" with the <a href="spotify:artist:2Hn9fch2OLB5jZuEAVjTCe">Count Basie Orchestra</a> in 1955, but was unable to make it to the recording sessions. Recorded without his participation, the tune went on to be a Top 30 pop hit. Intrigued by the organ playing of <a href="spotify:artist:0DYWCXTkNqGFZIf67SrWEa">Fats Waller</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2jFZlvIea42ZvcCw4OeEdA">Count Basie</a>, Davis began to experiment with the Hammond B-3. He soon developed his unique approach. "I thought of (the organ) as a replacement in clubs for a big band," he said during a late-'80s interview. Although he left <a href="spotify:artist:2nRbxpnBMMbtMBWH5QdqH2">Jordan</a>'s band after five years to form his own trio, Davis periodically returned to play special engagements. Although eclipsed by succeeding jazz organists, including <a href="spotify:artist:5GXruybcLmXPjR9rKKFyS6">Jimmy Smith</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6xGdsn4r7laoQDz0zbm1nY">Bill Doggett</a> in the late '50s, and <a href="spotify:artist:6J3pUmw6KX1LqyLQkP0k9U">Booker T. Jones</a> in the '60s, Davis remained active until his death from a heart attack in August 1995. His summer appearances in Atlantic City, New Jersey were an annual treat for almost three decades.

A native of Moorestown, New Jersey, Davis studied music at Tuskegee University and Wiley College in Texas. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi