Billy Davis (guitarist) facts for kids

Billy Davis, born J. C. Davis on April 29, 1938, is a talented American musician. He plays rock and blues guitar, sings, and writes songs. He is most famous for playing with the band Hank Ballard & the Midnighters. Billy Davis is also a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Billy Davis was born in Bentonia, Mississippi. When he was a child, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. At age 8, he heard a song called "That's All Right" by Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup. This song made him want to play the guitar.

Moving to Detroit

In 1951, when Billy was 13, he moved to Detroit, Michigan. He lived in a mostly Black neighborhood called "Black Bottom." There, he took guitar lessons from a teacher named Bosie Gatlin. Bosie taught him how to play "Baby, Please Don't Go" by Muddy Waters.

Meeting Other Musicians

Also in 1951, Billy met John Lee Hooker, a friend of his mother's from Mississippi. John Lee Hooker introduced Billy to Jackie Wilson. Billy and Jackie became close friends and worked on music together for many years.

Joining the Midnighters

After finishing high school in 1957, Billy Davis started his own band called Billy Davis & The Upsetters. They worked with Motown founder Berry Gordy. They played backup for artists like Smokey Robinson and The Miracles.

Becoming a Midnighter

In 1958, a singer from The Midnighters, Henry Booth, saw Billy play. He convinced Hank Ballard to hire Billy as the new guitarist for the band. Billy played with The Midnighters until they broke up in 1965. He also joined them again for reunion tours in the 1980s. The Midnighters were very popular, playing almost 300 shows a year in the early 1960s.

Billy's Stage Style

Billy Davis was known for his exciting performances on stage. He would spin and twirl, do backflips, and even play his guitar with his teeth! He also used guitar feedback to create cool sounds. Billy was more than just a backup musician; he was considered a full member of The Midnighters. He could play, sing, and do the band's dance routines. Hank Ballard often let Billy open the shows with his guitar solos and tricks for 30 minutes before the main performance.

Influencing Jimi Hendrix

In 1959, while playing in Seattle, Washington, Billy Davis met a 16-year-old named Jimi Hendrix and his father. Billy let Jimi play his guitar and gave him some lessons. This was the first time Jimi Hendrix had ever played an electric guitar. Jimi was inspired by Billy's wild stage moves and style. Soon, Jimi started playing his guitar with his teeth and behind his back, just like Billy. Billy remained friends with Jimi and his father for their whole lives.

Meeting B.B. King

Also in 1959, Billy met the famous blues guitarist B.B. King in Atlanta, Georgia. They became close friends and stayed that way until B.B. King passed away in 2015.

Military Service and Session Work

In 1962, Billy Davis joined the United States Army. He went to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for training and then to South Korea for 13 months. While in the army, he played country music for his officers at service clubs. Billy even arranged for Jimi Hendrix to audition as his temporary replacement with The Midnighters. Jimi played with them for a short time. After his service, Billy rejoined The Midnighters until the group disbanded.

A Busy Session Musician

After leaving the military, Billy moved to New York City. He became a popular session guitarist, meaning he played guitar on recordings for many different artists. He recorded with musicians like Joe Tex, Isley Brothers, The Drifters, Ben E. King, and Millie Jackson. He worked for many record labels, including Atlantic Records and Polydor.

Billy played his last show with the original Midnighters lineup in the Bahamas in 1965. He then moved back to Memphis, Tennessee, and worked briefly for Willie Mitchell at Hi Records.

He then returned to New York and continued his session work. He played on recordings for groups like Martha Reeves & the Vandellas. In 1967, Billy played lead guitar on his childhood friend Jackie Wilson's hit song "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher". They also toured together. This song was a huge success, reaching No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also named one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Later Career and Recognition

In 1969, Billy Davis signed with A&M Records as Billy "Guitar" Davis. He released a few of his own songs.

Billy got married in 1979 and had two children. In 1974, he moved back to Detroit, planning to stop playing music professionally. He became a trained counselor, helping young people who needed support. He mostly stopped playing music for about nine years, except for a few shows.

The Midnighters Reunite

In 1983, the group Sam & Dave asked Billy to put together a band to play with them at a concert. At that show, James Brown, who had been Billy's friend since the 1950s, gave him Hank Ballard's phone number. James suggested Billy call Hank to reunite The Midnighters. Billy called Hank, and they reunited. They toured steadily for several years.

Billy also appeared in the 1988 movie Tapeheads. He was part of the Swanky Modes Band in the film.

Hall of Fame Inductions

In 2001, The Midnighters were among the first groups to be inducted into the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame in Boston, Massachusetts.

Billy Davis formed a new band in 2003 to record his own songs. He still plays with them regularly and has released many of his original music.

In 2012, Billy Davis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Midnighters. A special group at the Hall of Fame decided to recognize members of pioneering bands whose lead singers had already been inducted. Because of this, The Midnighters were automatically inducted alongside Hank Ballard, who had been inducted in 1990.

In 2015, Billy Davis, as a member of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, was also inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.

Recent Activities

In 2017, to celebrate John Lee Hooker's 100th birthday, Billy Davis joined other musicians to form the Booker Blues All-Stars. They released a CD called Booker Plays Hooker.

Billy also recorded a song called "At the Crossroads" with Detroit blues rocker Eliza Neals. He performed with her at the 2017 Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival.

On October 12, 2017, Billy Davis received a "70 over 70" award. This award honored his achievements in art at a ceremony in Detroit, Michigan.

In 2017, Billy Davis and Wayne Craycraft won a competition by the Detroit Blues Society. They represented Detroit at the 33rd International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, in January 2018. They made it to the semi-finals.

Billy is a key musician in the documentary film Paradise Boogie, released in 2018. The film tells the story of Detroit blues music.

Billy Davis currently lives in Southfield, Michigan. He continues to help young musicians and performs regularly with several bands, including The Billy Davis Rhythm Machine Band. On October 19, 2022, Billy Davis and his band played at the Southfield Public Library for a "Jazz & Blues at Your Library" event.

Selected Recordings

Here are some of the albums and songs Billy Davis played on or released:

Hank Ballard & The Midnighters Albums

• Singin' And Swingin (1959)
• Mr. Rhythm And Blues (1960)
• The One And Only (1960)
• Dance Along (1961)
• Spotlight On Hank Ballard (1961)
• Let's Go Again (1961)
• The Twistin' Fools (1962)
• Jumpin (1962)
• The 1963 Sound Of Hank Ballard and the Midnighters (1963)
• Those Lazy, Lazy Days (1963)
• Live at the Palais (1963)

Hank Ballard & The Midnighters Hit Songs

• "Teardrops on Your Letter / The Twist" (1959)
• "Kansas City" (1959)
• "Finger Poppin' Time" (1960)
• "The Twist" (reissue) (1960)
• "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" (1960)
• "The Hoochi Coochi Coo" (1961)
• "Let's Go Again (Where We Went Last Night)" (1961)
• "The Continental Walk" (1961)
• "The Switch-a-Roo" (1961)
• "The Float" (1961)

Billy Davis Solo Songs

• "Spunky Onions / Goodbye Jesse" (1960)
• "Stanky (Get Funky) / I've Tried" (1969)
• "You Put Me in a Groove / As I Grow Old" (1969)
• "Blue Teardrops" (2004)
• "Coming for You" (2006)
• "Merry Christmas to the World" (2006)
• "It Ain't Easy" (2007)
• "Mr. Rock N Roll" (2009)
• "Blackballed" (2009)
• "I Remember" (2016)
• Billy Davis (2017)