Biography
Among the overlooked figures from the formative years of blues, Charles "Cow Cow" Davenport stands out upon closer examination for his contributions to one of its most lasting forms. A formidable boogie-woogie pianist, he crisscrossed the TOBA circuit throughout the 1920s and into the early 1930s, frequently sharing bills with vocalist Dora Carr on the vaudeville circuit. Although best recognized for penning his own signature number, "The Cow Cow Boogie," later revived by jazz band vocalist Ella Mae Morse amid the early-1940s boogie-woogie surge, Davenport maintained that he had also authored Louis Armstrong’s “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead, You Rascal You,” only to sell the rights outright and forgo any subsequent royalties or credit. Between 1929 and 1946 he cut sides for numerous record companies before eventually relocating to Cleveland, Ohio, where he succumbed in 1955 to hardening of the arteries.