Cleo Davis (March 9, 1919 – July 17, 1986) was an American musician from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

who gained prominence as "the original Blue Grass Boy". The creator of the "Blue Grass Boys" was

Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...

, also known as The Father of Bluegrass. Davis' performing career spanned 48 years as a singer and instrumentalist, and greatly influenced the

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...

and bluegrass artists of today.

Early life

Davis was born to Ben and Effie Davis in their home in northwest Georgia. Cleo was surrounded by music since he was born, with his mother playing the

pump organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...

and father playing the

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

(

clawhammer Clawhammer, sometimes called down-picking, overhand, or most commonly known as frailing, is a distinctive banjo playing style and a common component of American old-time music. The style likely descends from that of West African lutes, suc ...

style). After his first guitar was sat on, he ordered a new one from a

Sears and Roebuck Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwal ...

catalog, which cost $2.40.

Musical career

In August 1938, Davis went to an audition for Bill Monroe from an ad he saw in a newspaper to play "old-time songs." After the successful audition, Bill took Davis to a local pawn shop where Bill bought Davis $37.50 orchestra style guitar. Bill then bought Davis a new suit of clothes and a

Stetson Stetson is an American brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company. "Stetson" is also used as a generic trademark to refer to any campaign hat, particularly in Scouting. John B. Stetson gained inspiration for his most famous ...

hat. Davis spent the next two months practicing without performing to perfect their act. They mostly worked up songs that Bill did with the Monroe Brothers (Bill and

Charlie Monroe Charlie Monroe (July 4, 1903 – September 27, 1975) was an American country and bluegrass music guitarist. Charlie performed with his brother, Bill, as part of the Monroe Brothers. He later formed his own group, Charlie Monroe & the Kentucky ...

) due to the similarities of Davis' and Charlie's singing. Like Charlie, Cleo did also play the guitar. Bill and Davis auditioned at several radio stations before they got their first gig as a duet at

WWNC WWNC (570 kHz) is a commercial radio station in Asheville, North Carolina. It broadcasts a talk format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station's studios and transmitter site are on Summerlin Road in Asheville. WWNC's programming features ...

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

. Bill Monroe hired more members to the group as they grew in popularity. They went by the name of "Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys". Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys first appeared at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

in 1939 and later joined as members. Davis continued in the band until late 1940 to form his own group. Late in 1941, he went to fight in

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Davis moved to Florida when he returned from WWII and landed a job playing for the WLAK radio station. Davis ended his music career by helping fund and organize the Florida Opry House.

References

External links

Digital Library of Appalachia: Interview with Cleo Davis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Cleo 1919 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American male musicians Blue Grass Boys members American bluegrass guitarists Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state)