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Artist
Jesse Ed Davis
12+ albums
bluesrockswamp rockguitarnative american
about
Born September 21,1944 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 Capitol building hallways. He was Kiowa (on his Mother's side) and his Father was Kiowa and Cherokee, although in his autobiographical song, "Washita Love Child," he sang that he was born in a Kiowa-Comanche tepee (Jesse Davis). Ed began his musical career in the late 1950s playing in Oklahoma city and surrounding cities with John Ware (later Emmylou Harris' drummer) , John Selk (later Donovan's bass player), Jerry Fisher (later Blood, Sweat & Tears vocalist) Mike Boyle, Chris Frederickson, drummer Bill Maxwell (later Andrae Crouch and Koinonia) and others. He graduated from Northeast High School in 1962, and one of his classmates was Mike Brewer, later of Brewer and Shipley. By the mid 1960s Jesse had quit the University of Oklahoma and went touring with Conway Twitty, although he had toured with Twitty before, notably when Conway was still a rock and roll performer. Davis eventually moved to California, where, through his friendship with Levon Helm, he became friendly with Leon Russell. He became an in-demand session player before 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
