Larry davis

Anyone associating the song "Texas Flood" exclusively with Stevie Ray Vaughan overlooks Larry Davis' earlier rendition. Davis first appeared on record in 1958 with that track, and his standout Duke Records original continues to stand as the benchmark, even after Vaughan's fervent cover years later.

Raised in Little Rock, AR, Davis abandoned drums in favor of bass. During the mid-'50s he formed an on-and-off alliance with guitarist Fenton Robinson; on Bobby Bland's endorsement the duo joined Don Robey's Duke roster, resulting in three Davis 45s that featured "Texas Flood" and "Angels in Houston" before Robey dropped him. Thereafter Davis navigated sporadic studio chances, spending time in St. Louis where he studied guitar with Albert King while anchoring the bass chair in King's group.

Several singles on Virgo and Kent, followed by a severe 1972 motorcycle crash that left his left side temporarily paralyzed, set the stage for the strong 1982 Rooster Blues release Funny Stuff, helmed by longtime Gateway City figure Oliver Sain. Subsequent recordings proved elusive; the guitarist's 1987 Pulsar LP I Ain't Beggin' Nobody remained scarce among blues listeners.

In 1992 Ron Levy's Bulleye Blues imprint finally delivered the polished set Sooner or Later, which highlighted Davis' rich, booming vocals alongside his concise, Albert King-influenced guitar. The timing proved unfortunate, however, as Davis succumbed to cancer in the spring of 1994.