Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis
Encyclopedia
Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis (March 2, 1925 – December 28, 1995) was an American
electric blues
singer, guitarist
and songwriter
. He played with John Lee Hooker
, recorded an album for Elektra Records
in the mid 1960s, and remained a regular street musician on Maxwell Street
, Chicago
, for over 40 years.
He was also known as Jewtown Jimmy, and is best remembered for his songs "Cold Hands" and "4th And Broad".
, Mississippi
. In his teens
, Davis learned to play guitar from John Lee Hooker
, and the two of them played concert
s together in Detroit in the 1940s, following Davis' relocation there in 1946. Prior to his move to Detroit, Davis had worked in traveling minstrel shows. This included a spell with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels
.
Davis later spent nearly a year living in Cincinatti, Ohio
, before he moved to Chicago in 1953. He started performing regularly in the marketplace area of Maxwell Street
, playing a traditional and electrified style of Mississippi blues.
In 1952, he recorded two songs under his real name for Sun Records
. They were "Cold Hands" and "4th and Broad", and despite being offered to both Chess
and Bullet
, they were not released. The exact timing of Davis' adoption of his new name is uncertain,
but in 1964, under his new pseudonym, he waxed a couple of tracks for Testament
. They appeared on the 1965 Testament compilation album
, Modern Chicago Blues. His songs were "Crying Won't Make Me Stay" and "Hanging Around My Door". The album also included a track from another Chicago street performer, John Lee Granderson, as well as more established artists such as Robert Nighthawk, Big Walter Horton
, and Johnny "Man" Young. Music journalist
, Tony Russell, wrote it was "music of great charm and honesty".
In 1966, Davis recorded a self-titled album for Elektra Records
, which Allmusic's Jason Ankeny called "a fine showcase for his powerful guitar skills and provocative vocals". Davis recorded several tracks for various labels over the years without commercial success.
He owned a small restaurant on Maxwell Street called the Knotty Pine Grill, and performed outside the premises during the summer months. Davis continued to play alfresco in Chicago's West Side for decades, up to his latter years. In July 1994, Wolf Records released the album, Chicago Blues Session, Vol. 11, the tracks of which Davis had recorded in 1988 and 1989. The collection included Lester Davenport
on harmonica
, and Kansas City Red playing the drum
s.
Davis died of a heart attack
in December 1995, in his adopted hometown of Chicago. He was 70 years old.
A 1989 photograph of Davis performing on Maxwell Street, appeared on the front cover of BluesSpeak: The Best of the Original Chicago Blues Annual, published in 2010.
He is not to be confused with the West Coast
R&B
saxophonist
and record producer
, Maxwell Davis
(1916–1970).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electric blues
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
singer, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. He played with John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, recorded an album for Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
in the mid 1960s, and remained a regular street musician on Maxwell Street
Maxwell Street
Maxwell Street is an east-west street in Chicago, Illinois that intersects with Halsted Street just south of Roosevelt Road. It runs at 1330 South in the numbering system running from 500 West to 1126 West. The Maxwell Street neighborhood is considered part of the Near West Side and is one of the...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, for over 40 years.
He was also known as Jewtown Jimmy, and is best remembered for his songs "Cold Hands" and "4th And Broad".
Biography
He was born Charles W. Thompson, in TippoTippo, Mississippi
Tippo is an unincorporated community located in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, United States. Tippo is approximately from Swan Lake, northeast of Glendora and approximately from Charleston. Tippo is located at the intersection of Tippo Road and Sharkey Road.Although it is unincorporated,...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. In his teens
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
, Davis learned to play guitar from John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, and the two of them played concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s together in Detroit in the 1940s, following Davis' relocation there in 1946. Prior to his move to Detroit, Davis had worked in traveling minstrel shows. This included a spell with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels
The Rabbit's Foot Company
The Rabbit's Foot Company, also known as the Rabbit Foot Minstrels and colloquially as "The Foots", was a long running minstrel and variety troupe that toured as a tent show in the American South between 1900 and 1950...
.
Davis later spent nearly a year living in Cincinatti, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, before he moved to Chicago in 1953. He started performing regularly in the marketplace area of Maxwell Street
Maxwell Street
Maxwell Street is an east-west street in Chicago, Illinois that intersects with Halsted Street just south of Roosevelt Road. It runs at 1330 South in the numbering system running from 500 West to 1126 West. The Maxwell Street neighborhood is considered part of the Near West Side and is one of the...
, playing a traditional and electrified style of Mississippi blues.
In 1952, he recorded two songs under his real name for Sun Records
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
. They were "Cold Hands" and "4th and Broad", and despite being offered to both Chess
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
and Bullet
Bullet Records
At least three record labels with the name Bullet Records have existed.The earliest one was a record label based in Nashville, USA, which was started in 1945 by Jim Bulliet and C.V. Hitchcock. Bulleit was an early partner in Sun Records...
, they were not released. The exact timing of Davis' adoption of his new name is uncertain,
but in 1964, under his new pseudonym, he waxed a couple of tracks for Testament
Testament Records
Testament Records was an American independent record label based in Philadelphia, later Chicago, then Pasadena, and founded in 1963 by Down Beat magazine editor and writer Pete Welding....
. They appeared on the 1965 Testament compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Modern Chicago Blues. His songs were "Crying Won't Make Me Stay" and "Hanging Around My Door". The album also included a track from another Chicago street performer, John Lee Granderson, as well as more established artists such as Robert Nighthawk, Big Walter Horton
Big Walter Horton
Walter Horton, better known as Big Walter Horton or Walter "Shakey" Horton, was an American blues harmonica player. A quiet, unassuming and essentially shy man, Horton is remembered as one of the premier harmonica players in the history of blues...
, and Johnny "Man" Young. Music journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, Tony Russell, wrote it was "music of great charm and honesty".
In 1966, Davis recorded a self-titled album for Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, which Allmusic's Jason Ankeny called "a fine showcase for his powerful guitar skills and provocative vocals". Davis recorded several tracks for various labels over the years without commercial success.
He owned a small restaurant on Maxwell Street called the Knotty Pine Grill, and performed outside the premises during the summer months. Davis continued to play alfresco in Chicago's West Side for decades, up to his latter years. In July 1994, Wolf Records released the album, Chicago Blues Session, Vol. 11, the tracks of which Davis had recorded in 1988 and 1989. The collection included Lester Davenport
Lester Davenport
Lester "Mad Dog" Davenport , was an American Chicago blues harmonica player and singer.Born in Tchula, Mississippi, United States, Davenport moved from Mississippi to Chicago, Illinois, when he was 14...
on harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, and Kansas City Red playing the drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s.
Davis died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in December 1995, in his adopted hometown of Chicago. He was 70 years old.
A 1989 photograph of Davis performing on Maxwell Street, appeared on the front cover of BluesSpeak: The Best of the Original Chicago Blues Annual, published in 2010.
He is not to be confused with the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Maxwell Davis
Maxwell Davis
Maxwell Davis was an American R&B saxophonist, arranger and record producer.-Biography:Davis was born in Independence, Kansas. In 1937 he moved to Los Angeles, California, playing saxophone in the Fletcher Henderson orchestra...
(1916–1970).
Albums
| Album title | Record label | Year of release |
|---|---|---|
| Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis | Elektra Records Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
1965 |
| Chicago Blues Session, Vol. 11 | Wolf Records | 1994 |
Compilation albums
| Album title | Record label | Year of release |
|---|---|---|
| Modern Chicago Blues | Testament Records Testament Records Testament Records was an American independent record label based in Philadelphia, later Chicago, then Pasadena, and founded in 1963 by Down Beat magazine editor and writer Pete Welding.... |
1965 |