Cyril
Davies (23 January 1932 – 7 January 1964) was one of the first
British blues harmonica players and blues musician.
Biography
Born at St Mildred's, 15 Hawthorn Drive, Willowbank, Denham,
Buckinghamshire, near London, he was the son of William Albert Davies, a
laborer, and his wife Margaret Mary (née Jones). He had an elder brother
named Glyn, and the family is believed to have come from Wales.
Cyril Davies began his career in the early 1950s first within Steve Lane's
Southern Stompers, then in 1955 formed an acoustic skiffle and blues group
with Alexis Korner. He began as a banjo and 12-string guitar player before
becoming a Chicago-style blues harmonica player after hearing Little Walter.
Working by day as a panel beater, he ran an unsuccessful skiffle club before
meeting Korner, then Davies and Korner opened a London Rhythm and Blues club
'England's Firstest and Bestest Skiffle Club', later known as the 'London
Blues and Barrelhouse Club'. Popular with other musicians, the club hosted
gigs by blues musicians such as Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee
and Memphis Slim.
During this period Davies and Korner worked as session musicians, and often
backed Ottilie Patterson during her featured set with husband Chris Barber's
band, using amplified instruments for the first time - which did not go down
well with their blues purist audience and many fellow musicians. After
closing the blues club, Davies and Korner went their separate ways, and,
influenced by Muddy Waters electric sound, Davies formed his own electric
blues band.
In 1962 Davies and Korner hooked up again, and on 17.03.1962 opened the
Ealing Club in London. The club became a platform for their band, to which
they added bassist Jack Bruce, saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith and drummer
Charlie Watts and renamed themselves Blues Incorporated. Long John Baldry
and Art Woods (brother of Ronnie Wood) also played in the band at some time.
In June 1962 they recorded R&B from the Marquee, actually recorded in Decca
Records studio. Many young musicians visited the Ealing Club and 'guested'
with Blues Incorporated, including Rod Stewart, Paul Jones, Keith Richards,
Eric Burdon, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and
Ginger Baker. Jagger was in the audience
for the second night at the club and got up to sing 'Got My Mojo Working'.
After touring the UK and headlining a residency at The Marquee, by October
1962 there was musical tension in the band as some members wanted to play
crowd pleasers like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley songs while Cyril Davies and
others members were blues purists who wanted to play what they saw as only
genuine Chicago-style R&B. Following his departure from Blues Incorporated
in October 1962, Davies then formed the Cyril Davies All-Stars in November
1962 and recorded five tracks for Pye Records, who had announced an R&B
label featuring music imported from Davies' favourite Chicago musicians
('Country Line Special', 'Chicago Calling', 'Preaching the Blues', 'Sweet
Mary' and 'Someday Baby'). The original line-up was largely recruited from
Screaming Lord Sutch's Savages,and featured both Long John Baldry and Davies
on vocals to give Davies room to play harmonica. The band, later known
simply as the All-Stars was subject to frequent personnel changes.
After contracting pleurisy in 1963, Davies began to drink heavily to assuage
the pain while undergoing a heavy touring schedule. He died in January 1964.
The official cause of death was given as endocarditis, although leukemia is
often quoted. The core band was taken over by Long John Baldry and formed
the basis of his 'Hoochie Coochie Men'.
Cyril
Davies (23 January 1932 – 7 January 1964) was one of the first
British blues harmonica players and blues musician.