Jesse Ed Davis
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Jesse Ed Davis (September 21, 1944 – June 22, 1988) was an American guitarist.
A full-blooded Kiowa Indian, Jesse Ed Davis has been heralded as one of the most versatile session musicians of the late 1960s-early 1970s. Whether it was blues, country or rock and roll, Davis' tasteful guitar playing was featured on albums by such giants as Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, John Lennon, George Harrison, and John Lee Hooker, among many others. It is Davis' weeping bottleneck heard on Clapton's "Hello Old Friend" (from No Reason to Cry), and on both Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll and Walls and Bridges albums.
[edit] History
Born in Norman, Oklahoma, Davis began his musical career in Oklahoma City, where his dad Jesse Ed Davis II, had painted all of the Native American murals on the State Capital building hallways. Ed began his musical career in the late 1950's playing in Oklahoma city and surrounding cities with John Ware (later Emmy Lou Harris' drummer) , John Selk (later Donovan's bass player), Jerry Fisher (later Blood, Sweat and Tears vocalist) Mike Boyle, Chris Frederickson, and others. By the early 1960's Jesse had quit Oklahoma University and went touring with Conway Twitty. Davis eventually moved to California, joining bluesman Taj Mahal and playing guitar and piano on his first three albums. It was with Mahal where Davis was able to showcase his skill and range, playing slide, lead and rhythm, country and even jazz during his three-year stint, (and writing the graceful calligraphy for "Giant Step" 's liner-notes), making a celebrated appearance with the band as a musical guest in the The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus.
The period backing Mahal was the closest Davis came to being in a band full-time, and after Taj's 1969 album Giant Step, Davis soon made a reputation for sterling session work for such diverse acts as David Cassidy, Albert King and Willie Nelson. In 1971, Davis produced and played on Gene Clark's classic second solo album, White Light (A&M, 1971). He also recorded a solo album, Jesse Davis (Atco, 1971), which featured backing vocals by Gram Parsons and appearances by Leon Russell and Eric Clapton. Two more solo LPs followed, Ululu (Atco, 1972) and Keep Me Comin' (CBS, 1973). Davis also added guitar to Clark's No Other album (Asylum, 1974). As a result of his talent and connections, Davis eventually played on a raft of albums of the 1970s, including LPs by John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Leonard Cohen, Keith Moon, Jackson Browne, and Van Dyke Parks, and was a featured guest in George Harrison's The Concert for Bangladesh on August 1, 1971 at Madison Square Garden, New York City.
In and out of clinics, Davis disappeared from the music industry for a time, spending much of the 1980s dealing with alcohol and drug addiction. At the time of his death of an apparent drug overdose in a Venice laundry room, Davis was playing in the Graffiti Band, which coupled his music with the poetry of American Indian activist John Trudell.
Acclaimed Native American Filmmakers Steven Judd and Tvli Jacobs (American Indian Graffiti) are set to begin filming a documentary about Davis in February, 2007, rumored to be produced by Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals). Angelique Midthunder is also said to be involved in the project in the role of Executive Producer.
