Nathaniel Cleophas Davis facts for kids
Nathaniel Cleophas "N.C." Davis (1888-1972) was an important African American musician. He was also a composer, a teacher, and a bandleader. He even owned his own music company in Nashville, Tennessee.
Early Life and Education
Nathaniel Davis was born in Tennessee on August 14, 1888. By 1908, he was living in Nashville and playing the trombone. He started a music publishing company called N. C. Davis Music Publishing. He did this with his brothers, Otis B. Davis and Clarence M. Davis.
Davis also loved teaching music. He taught at Fisk University and the Tennessee School for the Blind. Around 1913, he started his own music teaching business. It was sometimes called the Traveling Conservatory of Music. Other times, it was known as the Davis Band and Orchestra School. One of his students at Fisk University was a famous trumpeter named Adolphus Anthony "Doc" Cheatham.
When the United States joined World War I, Davis served in the U.S. Army. He was a musician in the 368th Regiment. This regiment had African American soldiers. Davis served in France from 1918 to 1919.
Musical Compositions
N.C. Davis wrote many musical pieces. Five of his works for band were in the ragtime style. These songs often featured special trombone sounds called "smears" or "jazzes."
Some of his famous trombone pieces include:
- Oh, Slip It Man (1916)
- Mr. Trombonology (1917)
- Miss Trombonism (1918)
- Master Trombone (1919)
- Trombone Francais (1921), which honored his time serving in France.
His company also published other songs. These included "Somebody's Got My Man" and "I Know Now Who's Got My Man." He also wrote a ragtime song called Early Mornin' Blues in 1923.
Other Music Ventures
Nathaniel Davis played in and led many different bands. He had his own group, the N. C. Davis Band. He also played in P. G. Lowery's Band. This was the first band made only of African Americans to play at the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus. His song Mr. Trombonology was often a popular feature in their shows.
Davis also played with the Lebanon Band, Nashville's Ladies Military Band, and the Gantry Brothers Circus Band. Later in his life, he was involved with several African American organizations. He was part of the Colored American Legion. He also served as secretary for the Tennessee Colored State Fair Association.
Personal Life
Nathaniel Davis married Edith Rose Bonner in Nashville on December 6, 1926. They had one son named Warren George Davis. Nathaniel Davis passed away in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 19, 1972. He is buried in South View Cemetery in Atlanta.
