Wild Bill Davis
b. 24 November 1918, Glasgow, Missouri, USA. Davis' early career found him playing piano, guitar, or simply writing arrangements for the bands of Milt Larkin, Earl Hines and Louis Jordan. At the end of the '40s he began concentrating on playing the Hammond organ. His organ-led trio was very successful and he also worked with Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Count Basie. He was due to record his arrangement of April In Paris with Basie but arrived late at the studio so Basie proceeded without him and as a result had one of his best-selling hits. Davis worked extensively in Europe, recording with a succession of visiting Americans including Buddy Tate and Al Grey. In the late '70s and early '80s he once again worked with Hampton but was mostly engaged in leading his own small groups and appearing solo at concerts and festivals around the world.