Wild Bill Davis

Wild Bill Davis (November 24, 1918–August 17, 1995) was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis. Davis was born in Glasgow, Missouri. He is best known for his pioneering jazz electronic organ recordings and for his tenure with the Tympany Five, the legendary backing group for Louis Jordan. Prior to the emergence of Jimmy Smith in 1956, Davis (whom Smith had reportedly first seen playing organ in the ... more

Wild Bill Davis (November 24, 1918–August 17, 1995) was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis. Davis was born in Glasgow, Missouri. He is best known for his pioneering jazz electronic organ recordings and for his tenure with the Tympany Five, the legendary backing group for Louis Jordan. Prior to the emergence of Jimmy Smith in 1956, Davis (whom Smith had reportedly first seen playing organ in the 1930s) was the pacesetter among organists. He originally played guitar and wrote arrangements for Milt Larkin's Texas-bassed big band during 1939–1942, a band which also included Arnett Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, and Tom Archia on horns. After leaving the Larkin orchestra, Davis worked in Chicago as a pianist, recording with Buster Bennett in 1945. He played a crucial role as the pianist-arranger in Louis Jordan's Tympany Five (1945–1947) at the peak of their success. After leaving Jordan, he returned to Chicago for a time, recording again with... less