John Davis placed musical versatility at the core of his identity. Although internationally celebrated for his blues piano work, he took special pride in his command of ragtime, his occasional forays into jazz, and his knack for delivering a sentimental Tin Pan Alley number when required. He sustained this range across more than five decades. Mississippi was his birthplace, yet Chicago became his true home after his family relocated there prior to his third birthday. At age nine he lost his sight after stepping on a nail; nevertheless, during his teenage years he mastered the piano so he could earn income performing in his father’s sporting houses.
From 1937 to 1942 he served as the favored house pianist for producer Lester Melrose, accompanying such notable artists as Sonny Boy Williamson, Tampa Red, and Memphis Minnie on sessions for Bluebird, Columbia, Decca, and any additional labels tied to Melrose’s network. Following World War II, Davis organized his own trio and cut sides for MGM between 1949 and 1951. In 1952 he accompanied Broonzy on a European tour that may have marked the first such journey undertaken by an American blues performer.
Thereafter he stayed busy as a musician yet rarely recorded in the United States, reserving most of his studio work for European engagements—an exception being the characteristically varied 1985 album issued on Chicago’s Red Beans label. Davis’s polished and refined manner contrasted with the harder-edged Chicago blues sound that dominated the 1950s, yet that same refinement proved enduring.
