Walter Davis (blues) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Walter Davis
Background information
Born	March 1, 1911 or 1912 Grenada, Mississippi, United States
Died	October 22, 1963 (aged 52 or 53) St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Genres	Blues
Occupation(s)	Singer, pianist, songwriter
Instruments	Piano
Years active	Late 1920s–1953
Labels	Victor, Bluebird
Associated acts	Henry Townsend

Walter Davis (born around 1911 or 1912, died 1963) was an American blues musician. He was a talented singer, piano player, and songwriter. He made many recordings from the 1930s to the 1950s. He was not related to another famous musician, Walter Davis, Jr., who played jazz piano.

Walter Davis had a powerful singing voice. His voice was as expressive as the best Delta blues singers. One of his most famous recordings was "Sunnyland Blues" from 1931. People remember it more for his warm singing than for his piano playing. Some of his other well-known songs include "Come Back Baby", "Ashes in My Whiskey", and "Blue Blues". Sometimes, people called him "Hooker Joe".

Walter Davis's Early Life

Walter Davis was born on a farm in Grenada, Mississippi. When he was about 13 or 14 years old, he left home. He ended up in St. Louis, Missouri. There, he started singing with other musicians. These included pianist Roosevelt Sykes and guitarist Henry Townsend.

In 1930, Walter Davis made his first recordings. One of these was a successful song called "M&O Blues". On these early records, he sang while Roosevelt Sykes played the piano.

Becoming a Blues Musician

Walter Davis taught himself how to play the piano. As he got better, he started playing piano on his own recordings. A blues historian named Gérard Herzhaft said his piano playing was "primitive but expressive." This means it was simple but showed a lot of feeling, even with an uneven rhythm.

Walter Davis was inspired by another blues musician named Leroy Carr. Davis had a sad singing style and wrote thoughtful songs. He recorded many songs for Victor and Bluebird. He made over 150 recordings between 1930 and 1952. Many of these songs featured Henry Townsend or Big Joe Williams playing guitar with him.

People called Walter Davis "one of the finest and most original of all blues singers and pianists." He sang many different kinds of songs. Some were sad, like "Tears Came Rollin' Down," which Henry Townsend wrote. Others were funny, or used clever words with hidden meanings. Henry Townsend said that Walter Davis "played some of the saddest songs that was ever heard about."

Performing and Later Years

Henry Townsend said that Walter Davis was a very shy person. He didn't often perform in public shows or even at house parties. Townsend mentioned that other musicians sometimes used Davis's name falsely for their own club bookings in the 1930s.

In 1940, Walter Davis had a popular song called "Come Back Baby". Many other artists, like Lowell Fulson and Ray Charles, later recorded their own versions of this song. Once he became a well-known recording artist, he often performed in hotels in St. Louis. Sometimes, Henry Townsend played with him.

In 1952, Walter Davis had a stroke. This health issue stopped his recording career. Also, his style of music was becoming less popular at that time. For the rest of his life, he worked as a desk clerk in a hotel. He also worked part-time as a preacher. Walter Davis passed away in St. Louis in 1963, when he was about 52 years old. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Hillsdale, Missouri.

Walter Davis's Legacy

Some of Walter Davis's songs have been covered by other musicians. In 2005, he was honored after his death by being added to the Blues Hall of Fame.

In October 2012, a group called the Killer Blues Headstone Project placed a headstone on Walter Davis's grave. Before that, his grave at Greenwood Cemetery did not have a marker. The headstone was shown for the first time at the 2012 Big Muddy Blues Festival in St. Louis.

Walter Davis's musical influence continues through his great-grandson, Kyle P. Davis. Kyle is a blues and soul musician from California. His band is called SouLocust. He covered Walter's song "Reap What You Sow" on his album, "They Call Me The Reverend."