Blind John Davis

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title: "Blind John Davis" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1913-births", "1985-deaths", "american-blues-pianists", "20th-century-american-male-pianists", "american-blues-singers", "blues-musicians-from-mississippi", "boogie-woogie-pianists", "chicago-blues-musicians", "musicians-from-hattiesburg,-mississippi", "oldie-blues-artists", "20th-century-american-singers", "20th-century-american-pianists", "20th-century-american-male-singers", "american-blind-singers", "american-blind-pianists", "blind-blues-musicians", "burials-at-burr-oak-cemetery"] description: "American pianist and singer (1913–1985)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_John_Davis" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American pianist and singer (1913–1985) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

Field	Value
name	Blind John Davis
birth_name	John Henry Davis
birth_date
birth_place	Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
instrument	Piano, vocals
genre	Blues, boogie-woogie
occupation	Musician
years_active	1933–1985
label	Vocalion, Disques Vogue, Riverside, Happy Bird, Christi, Oldie Blues, Sirens, L&R, Red Beans
past_member_of	Johnny Lee's Music Masters
::

| name = Blind John Davis | image = | caption = | image_size = | birth_name = John Henry Davis | alias = | birth_date = | birth_place = Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | origin = | instrument = Piano, vocals | genre = Blues, boogie-woogie | occupation = Musician | years_active = 1933–1985 | label = Vocalion, Disques Vogue, Riverside, Happy Bird, Christi, Oldie Blues, Sirens, L&R, Red Beans | past_member_of = Johnny Lee's Music Masters | website =

Blind John Davis (December 7, 1913 – October 12, 1985) was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist and singer. He is best remembered for his recordings, including "A Little Every Day" and "Everybody's Boogie".

Biography

Davis was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and relocated with his family to Chicago at the age of two. Seven years later, he had lost his sight. In his early years Davis backed Merline Johnson, and by his mid-twenties he was a well-known and reliable accompanying pianist. Between 1937 and 1942, he recorded with Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Boy Williamson I, Tampa Red, Red Nelson, Merline Johnson, and others. He also made several records of his own, singing in his lightweight voice.

Having played in various recording sessions with Lonnie Johnson, Davis teamed up with him in the 1940s.{{cite book | first= Tony | last= Russell | year= 1997 | title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray | edition= | publisher=Carlton Books | location= Dubai | page= 41 | isbn= 1-85868-255-X}} He recorded later on his own. His "No Mail Today" (1949) was a minor hit. Most of Doctor Clayton's later recordings featured Davis on piano.{{cite book | first= Tony | last= Russell | year= 1997 | title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray | edition= | publisher=Carlton Books | location= Dubai | pages= 101–102 | isbn= 1-85868-255-X}}

He toured Europe with Broonzy in 1952, the first blues pianist to do so. In later years Davis toured and recorded frequently in Europe, where he enjoyed a higher profile than in the United States.

House fire

In 1955, Davis's house in Chicago burned down. His wife died in the fire, and his collection of 1700 78-rpm records, some of them unissued, was destroyed.

Death

Davis died in Chicago on October 12, 1985. He was 71. In 2016 the Killer Blues Headstone Project placed the headstone for John Davis at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.

Discography

• The Incomparable Blind John Davis (1974), Oldie Blues OL 2803
• Alive "Live" and Well (1976), Chrischaa
• Heavy Timbre: Chicago Boogie Piano (1976, re-released 2002), Sirens Records
• Stompin' on a Saturday Night (1978), Alligator
• You Better Cut That Out (1985), Red Beans
• Blind John Davis [Story of Blues] (1991), Story of Blues

References

References

1. "The Dead Rock Stars Club (1980)". TheDeadRockStarsClub.com.
2. Dahl, Bill. "Blind John Davis: Biography". [[Allmusic]].com.
3. (1988). "''Red Nelson: 1935–1938'' (LP)". Discogs.com.
4. Robert Palmer. (1981). "Deep Blues". [[Penguin Books]].
5. Olderen, Martin van (1997). Liner notes. ''The Incomparable Blind John Davis''. OLCD 7003.
6. "Headstones Placed".
7. "Oldies Blues Discography". Wirz.de.
8. [http://www.cascadeblues.org/History/BlindJohnDavis.htm ] {{webarchive. link. (June 5, 2008)

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