Kathryn Elizabeth Wimp known professionally as Kay Davis (December 5, 1920 – January 27, 2012 in Apopka, Florida) was an American

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 ...

singer who performed with the

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

orchestra. Davis was born in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

, and attended

Evanston Township High School Evanston Township High School (ETHS) (District 202) is a public high school in Evanston, Illinois. The campus is located in a northern suburb of Chicago along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS was established in 1883 and serves the city of Evanston a ...

. She studied voice and piano at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, where she received her bachelor's degree in 1942, and her master's degree in 1943.Kay Davis entry at Solid! website
Her grandfather, William H. Twiggs, was a civic leader for whom a park in Evanston is named. In 1944, she joined

's orchestra, where she sang alongside Joya Sherrill and Al Hibbler. She is best known for her wordless vocals in pieces such as "Transbluency" and "On a Turquoise Cloud." She also sang pieces with lyrics. She is the only person Ellington allowed to reprise

Adelaide Hall Adelaide Louise Hall (20 October 1901 – 7 November 1993) was an American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer. Her career spanned more than 70 years from 1921 until her death. Early in her career, she was a major figure in the Harlem Ren ...

's wordless vocal on " Creole Love Call." Davis and

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take the ...

gave the first performance of Strayhorn's " Lush Life" on November 13, 1948, at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. With Ellington's orchestra, she appeared in the film shorts ''Symphony in Swing'' (1949) and ''Salute to Duke Ellington'' (1950), both for Universal-International. Davis toured England with Ellington and Ray Nance in 1948, and in Europe with the full orchestra in 1950. After leaving Ellington's orchestra in 1950, she married Edward Wimp in 1952. They had one son, Edward L. Wimp. They retired to Florida.

Discography

* Duke Ellington, ''Black, Brown, and Beige'' (Bluebird, 1988)

References

* Kay Davis at Allmusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Kay 1920 births 2012 deaths African-American women singers American jazz singers American women jazz singers Bienen School of Music alumni Duke Ellington Orchestra members Evanston Township High School alumni