Jesse Edwin Davis III (September 21, 1944 – June 22, 1988) was a Native American guitarist. He was well regarded as a session artist and solo performer, was a member of

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

's backing band and played with musicians such as

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

, and

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

. In 2018, Davis was posthumously inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame at the 18th Annual Native American Music Awards. Davis was an enrolled citizen of the Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma with Comanche,

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...

, and

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

ancestry.

Early life and education

Davis was born in

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...

. His father, Jesse Edwin "Bus" Davis II, was a citizen of the Comanche Nation and a Muscogee and Seminole descendant. His father was also a prominent Native American artist whose nome d'arte was Asawoya or Running Wolf. His mother, Vivian Mae (Bea) Saunkeah, was Kiowa. Davis began his musical career in the late 1950s in Oklahoma City and surrounding cities with John Ware (later a drummer for

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

and Michael Nesmith during the First National Band era); John Selk (later a bass player for

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles ...

) late 1950s; Jerry Fisher (later a vocalist with Blood, Sweat & Tears); and drummer Bill Maxwell (later with Andrae Crouch). Davis graduated from Northeast High School in 1962 and graduated with a degree in English literature from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

. Even into his later years, it was remembered that he enjoyed quoting Socrates and Plato.MARK ARAX and PAUL FELDMA
OBITUARIES: Backed Up Major Artists: Jesse Ed Davis, 43; Noted Rock Guitarist
June 24, 1988. ''Los Angeles Times'' By the mid-1960s, he left college to tour with Conway Twitty.

Career

Davis eventually moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. For eight years, he lived in Marina del Rey with his companion, Patti Daley, and her son, Billy. Through his friendship with Levon Helm, he became friends with Leon Russell, who introduced him to recording session work. Davis joined

and played

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

and

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

on Mahal's first four albums. He played slide, lead and rhythm, country and even

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

during his three-year stint with Mahal. In a 1967 gig, Mahal played with a young Duane Allman in attendance, and Davis' slide guitar playing on Statesboro Blues that night would ignite Allman's interest in the technique. Mahal and his band were later invited to England by the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

,Documentary film, Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, 2017 and they appeared as a musical guest in '' The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus''. He played in the "electric" disc of Mahal's double album '' Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home'' (1969) and appeared in two songs of his fourth album '' Happy Just to Be Like I Am'' (1971). In 1970, Davis played on and produced Roger Tillison's only album for

Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the com ...

, a division of

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

. Davis and Tillison − both Oklahoman − were joined at the Record Plant by Bobby Bruce (fiddle),

Larry Knechtel Lawrence William Knechtel (August 4, 1940 – August 20, 2009) was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles–based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Sim ...

(organ and harmonica), Stan Szelest (piano); Billy Rich (bass); Jim Keltner (from Oklahoma, drums) and Sandy Konikoff (percussion); Don Preston and Joey Cooper were vocal accompanists. ''Roger Tillison's Album'' was recorded live. It was finally released on CD by Wounded Bird Records in 2008, with Davis playing electric guitar, bottleneck (slide) guitar and banjo. In 1971, Davis recorded his first solo album after Atco Records signed a contract with him to record two albums with the label. The first was the album ''¡Jesse Davis!'' (1971), which featured backing vocals by Gram Parsons and performances by Leon Russell and

, among others. Davis was close friends with Gene Clark. In 1971, he played on and produced Clark's second solo album, '' White Light'', and provided lead guitar on Clark's album '' No Other'' in 1974. On

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...

's 1972 debut album, Davis played the electric guitar solo on Browne's hit song " Doctor, My Eyes". After guesting with Russell on

's 1971 singles " Watching the River Flow" and “ When I Paint My Masterpiece”, and collaborating in Albert King’s ''Lovejoy'', Davis went on to work with

, performing at the ex-Beatle's 1971 Concert for Bangladesh at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

, along with

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

, Billy Preston, Russell, Keltner, Clapton and others. Two more solo albums followed: in 1972 ''Ululu'', which included the original release of Harrison's " Sue Me, Sue You Blues", and in 1973 ''Keep Me Comin'', occasionally listed as ''Keep On Coming''. Around this time, Davis began playing with

, for whom he played lead guitar on the albums '' Walls and Bridges'' (1974) and ''

Rock 'n' Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

'' (1975). In addition, Davis was a guest performer on other albums by former Beatles: Harrison's '' Extra Texture'' (1975) and Starr's ''

Goodnight Vienna ''Goodnight Vienna'' is the fourth studio album by Ringo Starr. It was recorded in the summer of 1974 in Los Angeles, and released later that year. ''Goodnight Vienna'' followed the commercially successful predecessor ''Ringo (album), Ringo'', a ...

'' (1974) and '' Ringo's Rotogravure'' (1976). In the late summer and fall of 1975, he performed with the Faces as second guitarist throughout their final US tour. It was on this tour that Davis became addicted to drugs. After the Faces tour, Davis continued to work as a session player. In addition to the artists listed above, Davis contributed to albums by Eric Clapton,

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

, Keith Moon, Steve Miller, Guthrie Thomas,

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experi ...

, Ry Cooder, David Cassidy,

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

, Neil Diamond, Rick Danko, Van Dyke Parks and others. He played on

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

's '' Death of a Ladies' Man'' (1977), produced by

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

. In 1977, Davis moved to Hawaii. In 1981, he returned to Los Angeles broke and ravaged by drug and alcohol addiction. In and out of clinics, Davis disappeared from the music industry for a time, spending much of the 1980s dealing with alcohol and drug addiction. In 1985 he formed and played in the Graffiti Band, which coupled his music with the poetry of the Native American activist John Trudell (

American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement (AIM) is an Native Americans in the United States, American Indian grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues ...

). The result of this collaboration was the album, released initially only on cassette, called '' AKA Grafitti Man'', which Bob Dylan called the best album of the year. In the spring of 1987, the Graffiti Band performed with Taj Mahal at the Palomino Club in North Hollywood, California. At this show, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and John Fogerty got up from the audience to join Davis and Mahal in an unrehearsed set which included Fogerty's " Proud Mary" and Dylan's "Watching the River Flow", as well as classics such as "

Blue Suede Shoes "Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard (music), standard written and first recorded by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues ...

", " Peggy Sue", "

Honey Don't "Honey Don't" is a song written by Carl Perkins, originally released on January 1, 1956 as the B-side of the " Blue Suede Shoes" single, Sun 234. Both songs became rockabilly classics. Bill Dahl of Allmusic praised the song saying, Honey ...

", "

Matchbox A matchbox is a container or case for matches, made of paperboard, cardboard, thin wood, or metal, generally in the form of a box with a separate drawer sliding inside the cover. Matchboxes generally measure 5 x 3.5 x 1.5 cm, and commonly have ...

" and " Gone, Gone, Gone".

Personal life

Davis had a relationship with Patti Daley for about ten years. He married Tantalayo Saenz and, after his first marriage ended, he married Kelly Brady. In his last years, he served as drug and alcohol counselor at the American Indian Free Clinic in Long Beach. Davis collapsed in the laundry room of an apartment building and was pronounced dead in Venice, Los Angeles, California, on June 22, 1988. Police stated that his death appeared to be the result of a

drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.

. Davis had a fresh needle mark on one arm and burned matches and tin foil were scattered on the ground nearby. He was 43 years old.

Legacy

In 2002, Davis was posthumously inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. In 2018, Jesse Ed Davis was inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame at the 18th Annual Native American Music Awards. A performance tribute was held by his former Graffiti band members, Mark Shark and Quiltman. His cousins Richenda Davis Bates and Constance Davis Carter accepted the induction.18th Annual Native American Music Awards
Oct 25, 2019 on YouTube (acceptance speech starts at min 54:00). Doug Miller and Joy Harjo ( Mvskoke), three-time U.S. Poet Laureate and jazz saxophonist, co-curated an exhibition, ''Jesse Ed Davis: Natural Anthem'' at the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2024. Miller wrote a biography, ''Washita Love Child: The Rise of Indigenous Rock Star Jesse Ed Davis'' (2024), to which Harjo contributed an essay.

Discography

With Junior Markham & The Tulsa Review

* "Let 'em Roll Johnny" / "Operator Operator" ( Uptown Records, 1967) * "Black Cherry" / "Gonna Send You Back to Georgia" (Uptown Records, 1967)

With Taj Mahal

* ''

'' (

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, 1968) * '' The Natch'l Blues'' (Columbia, 1968) * '' Giant Step'' (Columbia, 1969) *'' Happy Just to Be Like I Am'' (Columbia, 1971), guitar on "Oh Susanna" and "Chevrolet" * '' The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus'' ( ABKCO Records, 1996)

As leader

* ''¡Jesse Davis!'' (

, 1971) * ''Ululu'' (Atco Records, 1972) * ''Keep Me Comin'' or ''Keep On Coming'' (

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

, 1973) ** ''Bonus Record'' (Epic Records, 1973), an exclusive interview in Los Angeles with KMET-FM's B. Mitchel Reed - Jesse "Ed" Davis talks about his background, his music, and his new album (promotional release for ''Keep Me Comin'' album) * ''Red Dirt Boogie: The Atco Recordings 1970-1972'' (Real Gone Music, 2017), compilation of his first two albums * "Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day: The Unissued Atco Recordings 1970 - 1971" (Real Gone Music, 2025)

As sideman

* ''Daughters of Albion'' - Daughters of Albion (1968) * '' Look Inside the Asylum Choir'' - The Asylum Choir (1968) * ''Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore West'' - various artists (1969) * " Watching the River Flow / When I Paint My Masterpiece" -

(1971) * ''Roger Tillison's Album'' - Roger Tillison (1971) * ''Minnows'' - Marc Benno (1971) * ''Feel Your Groove'' - Ben Sidran (1971) * ''There's Gotta Be a Change'' - Albert Collins (1971) * ''Booker T. & Priscilla'' - Booker T. & Priscilla (1971) * '' Warm Waters'' - Charles Lloyd (1971) * '' She Used to Wanna Be a Ballerina'' - Buffy Sainte-Marie (1971) * '' Leon Russell and the Shelter People'' - Leon Russell (1971) * '' Asylum Choir II'' - The Asylum Choir (1971) * '' Endless Boogie'' - John Lee Hooker (1971) * ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...

'' - Albert King (1971) * '' White Light'' - Gene Clark (1971) * '' The Concert for Bangladesh'' -

& Friends (1971) * ''Ambush'' - Marc Benno (1972) * ''Out the Window'' - Jim Pulte (1972) * ''Salty'' - Alex Richman (1972) * '' L.A. Midnight'' - B.B. King (1972) * ''

'' -

(1972) * '' Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden'' -

Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1966. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles ...

(1972) * ''Rod Taylor'' - Rod Taylor (1973) * '' These Foolish Things'' - Bryan Ferry (1973) * '' Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys'' -

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk music, folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing protest song, songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his fa ...

(1973) * ''Home at Last'' - Wayne Berry (1974) * ''

'' - Arlo Guthrie (1974) * '' L.A. Turnaround'' - Bert Jansch (1974) * '' No Other'' - Gene Clark (1974) * '' Walls and Bridges'' -

(1974) * '' A Toot and a Snore in '74'' - John Lennon, Paul McCartney (bootleg, 1974) * ''

'' -

(1974) * '' Pussy Cats'' -

(1974) * '' That's a Plenty'' - Pointer Sisters (1974) * '' ST11261'' - Brewer & Shipley (1974) * ''Burnin' Thing'' - Mac Davis (1975) * ''The Eyes of an Only Child'' - Tom Jans (1975) * ''See How the Years Have Gone By'' - Valdy (1975) * ''

Stars A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed points of ...

'' -

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

(1975) * '' Two Sides of the Moon'' - Keith Moon (1975) * '' Extra Texture (Read All About It)'' - George Harrison (1975) * ''

'' - John Lennon (1975) * '' Duit on Mon Dei'' - Harry Nilsson (1975) * '' Born to Be with You'' - Dion (1975) * '' New Arrangement'' -

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers; August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster who has had many hit song credits beginning in the 1960s, as both a singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-son ...

(1975) * ''

Earthbound ''EarthBound'', originally released in Japan as is a 1994 role-playing video game, role-playing video game developed by Ape, Inc., Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as the second e ...

'' -

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American vocal group. Their music encompasses sunshine pop, pop soul, and psychedelic soul. They were an important crossover music act of the 1960s and 1970s, although both praised and derided for their particular music ...

(1975) * '' Midnight on the Water'' - David Bromberg Band (1975) * '' Atlantic Crossing'' -

(1975) * '' A Night on the Town'' - Rod Stewart (1976) * '' Sandman'' - Harry Nilsson (1976) * ''Diggin' It'' - Dunn & Rubini (1976) * ''Cupid's Arrow'' - David Blue (1976) * ''Welcome to Club Casablanca'' - Long John Baldry (1976) * ''Time Is on My Side'' - Tracy Nelson (1976) * ''Motion'' - Geoff Muldaur (1976) * ''Attitudes'' - Attitudes (1976) * '' Home Is Where the Heart Is'' - David Cassidy (1976) * '' Beautiful Noise'' - Neil Diamond (1976) * '' Slow Down World'' -

(1976) * '' No Reason to Cry'' -

(1976) * '' Ringo's Rotogravure'' - Ringo Starr (1976) * '' Clang of the Yankee Reaper'' - Van Dyke Parks (1976) * '' Death of a Ladies' Man'' -

(1977) * ''Blue Collar (soundtrack)'' - with Captain Beefheart and Jack Nitzsche (1978) * ''A Little Kiss in the Night'' - Ben Sidran (1978) * "Precious Love" -

(1980) * '' The Legend of Jesse James'' - various artists (1980) * ''Kent State (soundtrack)'' - various artists (1981) * ''Hobo Eagle Thief'' - Guthrie Thomas (1983) * ''AKA Graffiti Man'' - John Trudell (1986) * ''Heart Jump Bouquet'' - John Trudell (1987) * '' Taj'' - Taj Mahal (1987) * ''Slide of Hand'' - Scott Colby (1987) * ''It's a Sin to Be Rich'' - Lightnin' Hopkins (1992, recorded in 1972) * "1000 Dollar Wedding" and "Hot Burrito #1" - Gram Parsons (1992,

Extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

side B only, recorded in 1971)

References

External links

*Jas Obrecht, 2010
Jesse Ed Davis: “I Just Play the Notes That Sound Good”
*Dan Forte, August 2005
Jesse Ed Davis: Guitar Hero's Guitar Hero
At Vintage Guitar (magazine). {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Jesse Ed 1944 births 1988 deaths Musicians from Norman, Oklahoma American blues guitarists American male guitarists American rock guitarists Drug-related deaths in California 20th-century American musicians Plastic Ono Band members Guitarists from Oklahoma Guitarists from California American session musicians 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American slide guitarists Native American musicians Kiowa people of Comanche descent