Joe Davis (music publisher)

Joe Davis was born in New York City. In the late 1910s and 1920s, he worked as a songwriter and singer who recorded for Columbia Records.{{cite web|url=http://www.starrgennett.org/stories/articles/joe_davis_gennett.htm |title=Joe Davis and Gennett Records |publisher=Starrgennett.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113064258/http://www.starrgennett.org/stories/articles/joe_davis_gennett.htm|archive-date=January 13, 2013|url-status=dead}} In the mid-1920s, he had been responsible for placing dozens of blues and pop singers under his management with major and minor labels, while pursuing a radio and recording career as "Joe Davis, The Melody Man" and operating Triangle Music Publishing Co.,{{cite web |url=http://www.mainspringpress.com/murray-beacon.html |title=The Billy Murray Online Discography - 78-rpm Records - The Beacon Session |publisher=Mainspringpress.com |accessdate=2013-03-11 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617021927/http://www.mainspringpress.com/murray-beacon.html |archivedate=2013-06-17 }} which was founded in 1919 with the help of George F. Briegel (1890–1968).Triangle Co. Progressing, The Music Trades, pg. 42, February 15, 1919

File:Fats Waller edit.jpg (1938)]]

He has to be considered as an important influence for Fats Waller, having actually talked the shy, reluctant Waller into considering a performing career.{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/john-hancock-disambiguation |title=John Hancock: Information from |publisher=Answers.com |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11}} Davis pushed Waller to compose seriously for the piano (as "African Ripples" 1931).{{cite web|url=http://www.blueblackjazz.com/part/african_en.html |title=Fats Waller - African Ripples (Sheet Music) |publisher=Blueblackjazz.com |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11}} Davis' name was found as 'songwriter' of Waller songs such as "Alligator Crawl" (1927){{cite web |url=http://songwritershalloffame.org/songs/detailed/C285 |title=Thomas Waller Detailed Song List |publisher=Songwriters Hall of Fame |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905000445/http://songwritershalloffame.org/songs/detailed/C285 |archive-date=2014-09-05 |url-status=dead }} and "Our Love Was Meant To Be",{{cite web|url=http://www.dbopm.com/link/index/4406/307~3652 |title=Songs co-written by Thomas Waller and Joseph M. Davis |publisher=dbopm |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11}} also the Andy Razaf titles "Alexander's Back in Town" and "After I've Spent My Best Years on You".{{cite web |url=http://songwritershalloffame.org/songs/detailed/C305 |title=Andy Razaf Detailed Song List |publisher=Songwriters Hall of Fame |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806103509/http://songwritershalloffame.org/songs/detailed/C305 |archive-date=2011-08-06 |url-status=dead }} Davis managed to cheat Razaf out of royalties to "S'posin'", which was written to Paul Denniker's music.{{cite web|url=http://www.michaelfeinsteinsamericansongbook.org/songwriter.html?p=155 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426013428/http://www.michaelfeinsteinsamericansongbook.org/songwriter.html?p=155 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 26, 2012 |title=Michael Feinstein's American Songbook | Andy Razaf | Songwriter |publisher=Michaelfeinsteinsamericansongbook.org |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11}} As a publisher, Davis worked with Porter Grainger ("Wylie Avenue Blues", 1927), Howard Johnson ("Florida Flo"), Chris Smith, Alex Hill, Spencer Williams, Carson Robison, Tom Delaney,{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-delaney-mn0000606438|title=Tom Delaney : Artist Biography|author=Eugene Chadbourne|author-link=Eugene Chadbourne|publisher=Allmusic.com|accessdate=2014-08-04}} J. C. Johnson, and Claude Hopkins.[https://books.google.com/books?id=65zkcD3O6w8C&dq=%22triangle+music+publishing%22+%22Joseph+M.+davis%22&pg=PA374 David A. Jason, Tin Pan Alley: An Encyclopedia of the Golden Age of American Song, pg. 374, Taylor & Francis (2003)] ({{LCCN|2003002699}}) ({{ISBN|0415938775}}) ({{ISBN|9780415938778}}) Davis dropped the Triangle imprint in the 1930s and replaced it with Joe Davis, Inc. He sold the firm in 1939 and went into the record manufacturing business.

File:BillyMurray.jpg (1919)]]

In May 1942, Davis founded his first record label, Beacon Records. On Beacon, Davis published in 1943 and 1944 the music of Billy Murray/Monroe Silver (Casey and Cohen in the Army, 1943), Irving Kaufman with the Buddy Clark Orchestra, and local vocal ensembles as The Red Caps. In 1944, Davis purchased most of the short-lived Varsity label's hundreds of master records when they went bankrupt in the early 1940s, but had with Varsity a tiny shellac ration from which to press the records. Joe Davis then pressed token quantities of records by the State Street Ramblers (Jimmy Blythe), Thomas A. Dorsey (as Georgia Tom), and Bradley Kincaid, using Gennett and Champion masters, also reissues from the 1939-Varsity label by Harry James, Frank Trumbauer, Vincent Lopez, Sammy Kaye, or The Three Suns;.{{cite web|url=http://www.vocalgroupharmony.com/fatmeat.htm |title=The Vocal Group Harmony Web Site |publisher=Vocalgroupharmony.com |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11}} but had a tiny shellac ration from which to press the records.

In 1945, he founded the Joe Davis Record Company with the sub labels Beacon, Celebrity and (Joe) Davis Records. The Company was placed in 331 West 49th Street, with subsidiary in Richmond, Virginia.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pBEEAAAAMBAJ&q=Joe+Davis+Records&pg=PT18 |title=Billboard - Google Books |date=1945-06-23 |accessdate=2013-03-11}}

Davis edited pop music, jazz, rhythm and blues, gospel and Latin music, by artists such as Coleman Hawkins ("On the Bean" 1945), the vocal ensemble Five Red Caps{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rREEAAAAMBAJ&q=Joe+Davis+Records&pg=PT20 |title=Billboard - Google Books |date=1945-08-11 |accessdate=2013-03-11}} ("Just for You"{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/label/Joe+Davis+Records |title=Joe Davis Records - CDs and Vinyl at Discogs |publisher=Discogs.com |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11}}) and singer Una Mae Carlisle ("I'm a Good, Good Woman" 1945).

Joe Davis was making use of her talents as a prolific songwriter and surrounding her once again with musicians including Ray Nance, Budd Johnson and Shadow Wilson ("Tain't Yours").{{cite web|last=Chadbourne |first=Eugene |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/una-mae-carlisle-p184977/biography |title=Una Mae Carlisle - Music Biography, Credits and Discography |publisher=AllMusic |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11}}

File:Gabriel Brown b1910.jpg (1935)]]

Davis edited an album by Otis Blackwell and a compilation with the title World Famous Rhythm and Blues Groups.{{cite web|url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/new/davis.pdf |title=Davis Label Discography [document] |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11}} also in the 1950s on Davis Records swing and jazz recordings by Frank Signorelli, Erskine Butterfield, Lee Castle and Eddie Miller, under Joe Davis Records blues recordings by Walter Thomas, Champion Jack Dupree and Gabriel Brown.

Davis worked in the early 1950s for MGM Records and founded the label Jay-Dee in spring 1953; he edited re-issues from The Crickets with the lead singer (Grover) Dean Barlowe, recordings by doo-wop ensembles as The Mellows, with the lead singer Lillian Leach and The Blenders ("Don't Play Around With Love", 1953), the latter song being also recorded with the 'blue' alternate take ("Don't Fuck Around With Love" #780-45 (1953) reissued 1973).{{cite web |url=http://home.earthlink.net/~v1tiger/jaydee.html |title=The Joe Davis Labels : The Vocal Groups |publisher=home.earthlink.net |accessdate=2013-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101045836/http://home.earthlink.net/~v1tiger/jaydee.html |archive-date=2014-01-01 |url-status=dead }} The Mellows recorded several songs for Jay-Dee, including "How Sentimental Can I Be" in August 1954, "Smoke From Your Cigarette" in January 1955, and "I Still Care," issued in April 1955 and probably the high point of their career.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-mellows/134522402 |title=iTunes - Music - The Mellows |publisher=iTunes |date= |access-date=2013-03-11}} In 1956 Davis also recorded The Chestnuts ("Love Is True").{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mTM_9JTeoMIC&q=Joe+Davis+Records&pg=PA112 |title=American Singing Groups: From 1940 to Today - Jay Warner - Google Books |date=2006-05-31 |isbn=9780634099786 |accessdate=2013-03-11|last1=Warner |first1=Jay |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation }}

In 1954, Davis reactivated his Beacon label for re-issues of R&B-recordings.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9SAEAAAAMBAJ&q=Joe+Davis+Records+jay+dee&pg=PT10 |title=Billboard - Google Books |date=1954-09-27 |accessdate=2013-03-11}} He edited recordings of Dean Barlow & The Crickets and The Deep River Boys. In 1961, Davis also recorded on his Beacon label a session of jazz pianist Elmo Hope,{{cite web|url=http://hardbop.tripod.com/ehope.html |title=Elmo Hope: The Hard Bop Homepage |publisher=Hardbop.tripod.com |date= |accessdate=2013-03-11}} but at this time mostly party music. In the 1960s, he led Beacon and Celebrity as his two publishing companies.

Joe Davis was married to Bertha Kapp (née Bertha Kapp or Kaplatsky; 1903–1973) and a brother-in-law of Jack (1901–1949) and Dave Kapp (1904–1976).

Davis died on 3 September 1978 in Louisville, Kentucky.

• 1952: R & B Groups From Joe Davis (with Eddie Carter Quartet, The Crickets, The Bleners, The Five Barons)
• 1956: Otis Blackwell – Singin’ the Blues (Joe Davis LP 12": JD 109){{cite web |url=http://koti.mbnet.fi/wdd/otisblackwell.htm |title=WangDangDula.com |publisher=Koti.mbnet.fi |date=2009-12-21 |accessdate=2013-03-11 |archive-date=2013-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522063101/http://koti.mbnet.fi/wdd/otisblackwell.htm |url-status=dead }}
• 1961: Elmo Hope – High Hope (Beacon LP 12": LP/BS 401)
• 1962: Elmo Hope – Here's Hope (Celebrity LP 12": 209)

• Bruce Bastin Never Sell a Copyright: Joe Davis and His Role in the New York Music Scene 1916-1978 Storyville 1990

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• [http://www.starrgennett.org/stories/articles/joe_davis_gennett.htm Joe Davis and Gennett Records]
• [http://www.bsnpubs.com/new/davis.pdf Discography] (pdf)
• [https://archive.org/details/georgeblood?and%5B%5D=publisher:joe%20davis Joe Davis Records] on the Internet Archive's [http://great78.archive.org/ Great 78 Project]
• [https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110340 Joe Davis recordings] at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.

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Category:1896 births

Category:1978 deaths

Category:American music publishers (people)

Category:American music industry executives