View source for Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

{{Short description|American jazz saxophonist (1922–1986)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name            = Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
| image           = Eddie Lockjaw Davis.jpg
| background      = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name      = Edward F. Davis
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1922|03|02}}
| birth_place     = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_date      = {{Death date and age|1986|11|03|1922|03|02}}
| death_place     = [[Culver City, California]], U.S.
| genre           = [[Jazz]], [[swing music|swing]]
| occupation      = Musician
| instrument      = Saxophone
| years_active    =
| label           = [[Prestige Records|Prestige]], [[Riverside Records|Riverside]], [[RCA Records|RCA Victor]]
}}

'''Edward F. Davis''' (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986),<ref name="bare">{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues - A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger Publishers| location= Santa Barbara| page=260 | isbn= 978-0313344237}}</ref> known professionally as '''Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis''', was an American [[jazz]] tenor saxophonist.<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=eddie-lockjaw-davis-mn0000166025 |tab=biography |pure_url=yes}} |title=Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis Biography |publisher=[[All Media Network]] |first=Scott |last=Yanow |author-link=Scott Yanow |work=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=20 January 2016}}</ref>
It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened to "Jaws"): it is either said that it came from the title of a tune or from his way of biting hard on the saxophone mouthpiece.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/davis-eddie-lockjaw |title=Davis, Eddie 'Lockjaw'|first=Laura|last= Hightower|website= Encyclopedia.com}}</ref> Other theories have been put forward.<ref>[https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jazz-nicknames-by-aaj-staff "Jazz Nicknames"] on Allaboutjazz.com.</ref>

==Biography==
Davis played with [[Cootie Williams]], [[Lucky Millinder]], [[Andy Kirk (musician)|Andy Kirk]], [[Eddie Bonnemère]], [[Louis Armstrong]], and [[Count Basie]], as well as leading his own bands and making many recordings as a leader. He played in the [[swing music|swing]], [[bebop|bop]], [[hard bop]], [[Latin jazz]], and [[soul jazz]] genres. Some of his recordings from the 1940s also could be classified as [[rhythm and blues]].

In 1940, when [[Teddy Hill]] became the manager of the legendary [[Minton's]] Jazz club, he put Eddie Davis in charge of deciding which musicians could, or couldn't, sit in during the jam sessions (playing in this Minton's sessions was coveted by many, including musicians which were not up to the demanding standards of the venue).<ref>[https://jazzleadsheets.com/composers/eddie-lockjaw-davis.html "Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis"] at Jazzleadsheets.com.</ref>

His 1946 band, Eddie Davis and His Beboppers, featured [[Fats Navarro]], [[Al Haig]], [[Huey Long (singer)|Huey Long]],<ref>[http://www.venushairhouston.com/huey.html Huey Long biography at Venus Hair], which establishes that this member of [[The Ink Spots]] was also the guitarist of Davis's Beboppers.</ref> [[Gene Ramey]] and [[Denzil Best]].

In the 1950s, he was playing with [[Sonny Stitt]], while from 1960 to 1962, he and fellow tenor saxophonist [[Johnny Griffin]] led a quintet.

Starting in 1955, and up to 1960, Eddie Davis pioneered the tenor sax/[[Hammond organ]] combo, in a group featuring [[Shirley Scott]] on the Hammond B3.<ref>Nadal, James, [https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/eddie-lockjaw-davis "Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis"], Allaboutjazz.com.</ref>

From the mid-1960s, Davis and Griffin also performed together as part of the [[Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band]], along with other, mainly European, jazz musicians.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/11/04/tenor-saxophone-great-eddie-lockjaw-davis/ |title=Tenor Saxophone Great Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis |first=Larry |last=Kart |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=4 November 1986}}</ref>

Davis died of [[Hodgkin's lymphoma]] in [[Culver City, California]], at the age of 64.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/06/obituaries/eddie-lockjaw-davis-dies-saxophonist-with-jazz-greats.html |title=Eddie (Lockjaw) Davis Dies; Saxophonist With Jazz Greats |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=6 November 1986}}</ref>

==Discography ==

===As leader/co-leader===
* 1954: ''Goodies from Eddie Davis'' ([[Roost Records|Roost]] [10" LP])
* 1955: ''[[The Battle of Birdland]]'' [live] (Roost) – with [[Sonny Stitt]]
* 1956: ''Modern Jazz Expressions'' ([[King Records (United States)|King]])
* 1956: ''Jazz With a Horn'' (King) – also released as ''This and That'' (King, 1959)
* 1956–57: ''Jazz With a Beat'' (King) – with [[Shirley Scott]]; released 1958
* 1957: ''Big Beat Jazz'' (King) – released 1958
* 1957: ''Uptown'' (King) – released 1958
* 1957: ''[[Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman]]'' ([[Roulette Records|Roulette]])
* 1958: ''[[Eddie Davis Trio Featuring Shirley Scott, Organ]]'' (Roulette)
* 1958: ''[[The Eddie Davis Trio Featuring Shirley Scott]], Organ'' (Roost) 
* 1958: ''[[The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Cookbook]], Vol. 1'' ([[Prestige Records|Prestige]]) – with Shirley Scott, [[Jerome Richardson]]; also released as ''In the Kitchen'' (Prestige, 1969)
* 1958: ''[[Jaws (album)|Jaws]]'' (Prestige) – with Shirley Scott
* 1958: ''[[The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Cookbook, Vol. 2]]'' (Prestige) – with Shirley Scott, Jerome Richardson; also released as ''The Rev'' (Prestige, 1970)
* 1958: ''[[The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Cookbook Volume 3]]'' (Prestige) – with Shirley Scott, Jerome Richardson; released 1961
* 1958: ''[[Smokin' (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis album)|Smokin']]'' [the 4th volume in the ''Cookbook'' series] (Prestige) – with Shirley Scott, Jerome Richardson; released 1964
* 1959: ''[[Very Saxy]]'' (Prestige) – with [[Buddy Tate]], [[Coleman Hawkins]], [[Arnett Cobb]]
* 1959: ''[[Jaws in Orbit]]'' (Prestige) – with Steve Pulliam, Shirley Scott
* 1959: ''[[Bacalao (album)|Bacalao]]'' (Prestige) – with Shirley Scott
* 1960: ''[[Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Shirley Scott]]'' (Moodsville) note: Scott also on piano
* 1960: ''[[Misty (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis album)|Misty]]'' (Moodsville) – with Shirley Scott; released 1963
* 1960: ''[[Afro-Jaws]]'' ([[Riverside Records|Riverside]]) – with [[Ray Barretto]]; also released as ''Alma Alegre'' (Jazzland, 1964)
* 1960: ''[[Battle Stations (album)|Battle Stations]]'' (Prestige) – with [[Johnny Griffin]], [[Norman Simmons (musician)|Norman Simmons]]; released 1963 
* 1960: ''[[Trane Whistle]]'' (Prestige) – with big band arranged by [[Oliver Nelson]], Ernie Wilkins
* 1960: ''[[Tough Tenors]]'' ([[Jazzland Recordings|Jazzland]]) – with Johnny Griffin, [[Junior Mance]]
* 1960: ''[[Griff & Lock]]'' (Jazzland) – with Johnny Griffin, Junior Mance; released 1961
* 1961: ''[[The Tenor Scene]]'' (Prestige) – with Johnny Griffin, Junior Mance; also released as ''The Breakfast Show'' (Prestige, 1966)
* 1961: ''[[The First Set]]'' (Prestige) – with Johnny Griffin, Junior Mance; released 1964
* 1961: ''[[The Midnight Show (album)|The Midnight Show]]'' (Prestige) – with Johnny Griffin, Junior Mance; released 1965
* 1961: ''[[The Late Show (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis album)|The Late Show]]'' (Prestige) – with Johnny Griffin, Junior Mance; released 1965
* 1961: ''[[Lookin' at Monk!]]'' (Jazzland) – with Johnny Griffin, Junior Mance
* 1961: ''[[Blues Up & Down]]'' (Jazzland) – with Johnny Griffin, Lloyd Mayers; released 1962
* 1962: ''[[Tough Tenor Favorites]]'' (Jazzland) – with Johnny Griffin, [[Horace Parlan]]
* 1962: ''[[Jawbreakers (album)|Jawbreakers]]'' (Riverside) – with [[Harry "Sweets" Edison]] 
* 1962: ''[[Goin' to the Meeting]]'' (Prestige) – with Horace Parlan
* 1962: ''[[I Only Have Eyes for You (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis album)|I Only Have Eyes for You]]'' (Prestige) – with [[Don Patterson (organist)|Don Patterson]]; released 1963
* 1962: ''[[Trackin' (album)|Trackin']]'' (Prestige) – with Don Patterson; released 1963
* 1966: ''[[Lock, the Fox]]'' ([[RCA Records|RCA Victor]]) – with [[Ross Tompkins]]
* 1967: ''[[The Fox & the Hounds]]'' (RCA Victor) – with big band arranged by Bobby Plater
* 1968: ''[[Love Calls]]'' (RCA Victor) – with [[Paul Gonsalves]]
* 1970: ''[[Tough Tenors Again 'n' Again]]'' ([[MPS Records|MPS]]) – with Johnny Griffin
* 1974: ''[[Leapin' on Lenox]]'' ([[Black & Blue Records|Black & Blue]])
* 1975: ''[[The Tenor Giants Featuring Oscar Peterson]]'' ([[Pablo Records|Pablo]]) – with [[Zoot Sims]]
* 1975: ''[[Light and Lovely]]'' (Black & Blue) – with Harry "Sweets" Edison
* 1975: ''[[Chewin' the Fat (album)|Chewin' the Fat]]'' (Spotlite)
* 1976: ''[[Jaws Strikes Again]]'' (Black & Blue) – with [[Wild Bill Davis]]
* 1976: ''[[Swingin' Till the Girls Come Home]]'' ([[SteepleChase Records|SteepleChase]]; [[Inner City Records|Inner City]])
* 1976: ''[[Straight Ahead (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis album)|Straight Ahead]]'' (Pablo)
* 1976: ''[[Lockjaw with Sweets]]'' (Storyville) – with Harry "Sweets" Edison
* 1976: ''[[Opus Funk]]'' (Storyville) – with Harry "Sweets" Edison
* 1977: ''[[Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis 4 – Montreux '77]]'' (Pablo)
* 1977: ''[[Simply Sweets]]'' (Pablo) – with Harry "Sweets" Edison, [[Dolo Coker]]
* 1978: ''[[Midnight Slows Vol. 10]]'' (Black & Blue) – with [[Bill Doggett]]
* 1979: ''[[The Heavy Hitter]]'' ([[Muse Records|Muse]])
* 1981: ''[[Jaw's Blues]]'' ([[Enja Records|Enja]]) – with Horace Parlan; released 1986
* 1981: ''Sonny, Sweets & Jaws – Recorded Live at Bubba's'' ([[Who's Who in Jazz]]) – with Sonny Stitt, Harry "Sweets" Edison 
* 1983: ''Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis/Harry "Sweets" Edison/Al Grey – Jazz at the Philharmonic 1983'' (Pablo) – recorded 1982
* 1983: ''[[All of Me (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis album)|All of Me]]'' (SteepleChase) – with [[Kenny Drew]]
* 1983: ''[[Jazz at the Philharmonic – Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo 1983: Return to Happiness]]'' (Pablo)
* 1984: ''Tough Tenors Back Again!'' (Storyville) – with Johnny Griffin; released 1998

===As sideman===
'''With [[Mildred Anderson]]'''
* ''[[Person to Person (Mildred Anderson album)|Person to Person]]'' (Bluesville, 1960) – with Shirley Scott

'''With [[Count Basie]]'''
* ''[[The Count!]]'' ([[Clef Records|Clef]], 1952 [rel. 1955])
* ''[[Basie Jazz]]'' (Clef, 1952 [rel. 1954])
* ''[[Dance Session Album No. 2|Dance Session Album #2]]'' (Clef, 1954)
* ''[[The Atomic Mr. Basie]]'' (Roulette, 1957) – originally titled ''Basie''; also known as ''E=MC<sup>2</sup>''
* ''[[Everyday I Have the Blues (Joe Williams album)|Everyday I Have the Blues]]'' (Roulette, 1959)
* ''[[The Count Basie Story]]'' (Roulette, 1960)
* ''[[Pop Goes the Basie]]'' ([[Reprise Records|Reprise]], 1965)
* ''[[Basie Meets Bond]]'' ([[United Artists Records|United Artists]], 1966)
* ''[[Live at the Sands (Before Frank)]]'' (Reprise, 1966 [rel. 1998])
* ''[[Sinatra at the Sands]]'' (Reprise, 1966) 
* ''[[Basie's Beatle Bag]]'' ([[Verve Records|Verve]], 1966)
* ''[[Basie Swingin' Voices Singin']]'' ([[ABC Records|ABC-Paramount]], 1966)
* ''[[Basie's Beat]]'' (Verve, 1967)
* ''[[Broadway Basie's...Way]]'' ([[Command Records|Command]], 1966)
* ''[[Hollywood...Basie's Way]]'' (Command, 1967)
* ''[[Basie's in the Bag]]'' ([[Brunswick Records|Brunswick]], 1967)
* ''Count Basie Captures Walt Disney's [[The Happiest Millionaire (album)|The Happiest Millionaire]]'' ([[Coliseum Records|Coliseum]], 1967)
* ''[[Manufacturers of Soul]]'' (Brunswick, 1968)
* ''[[The Board of Directors Annual Report]]'' ([[Dot Records|Dot]], 1968) 
* ''[[Basie Straight Ahead]]'' (Dot, 1968)
* ''[[How About This]]'' ([[Paramount Records (1969)|Paramount]], 1968)
* ''[[Standing Ovation (Count Basie album)|Standing Ovation]]'' (Dot, 1969)
* ''[[Basic Basie]]'' (MPS, 1969)
* ''[[Basie on the Beatles]]'' (Happy Tiger, 1969)
* ''[[High Voltage (Count Basie album)|High Voltage]]'' (MPS, 1970)
* ''[[Basie Jam]]'' (Pablo, 1973)
* ''[[Mostly Blues...and Some Others]]'' (Pablo, 1983)

'''With [[Billy Butler (guitarist)|Billy Butler]]'''
* ''Don't Be That Way'' (Black & Blue, 1976)
'''With [[Benny Carter]]'''
*''[[Wonderland (Benny Carter album)|Wonderland]]'' (Pablo, 1976 [1986])
'''With the [[Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band]]'''
* ''[[Sax No End]]'' (SABA, 1967)
'''With [[Arnett Cobb]]'''
* ''[[Blow Arnett, Blow]]'' (Prestige, 1959) – also released as ''Go Power!!!'' (Prestige, 1970)
'''With Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners'''
* ''Coming Home'' (Black & Blue, 1976) 
'''With [[Wild Bill Davis]]'''
* ''All Right OK You Win'' (Black & Blue, 1976) 
'''With [[Harry Edison]]'''
* ''Just Friends'' (Black & Blue, 1975)
*''[[Edison's Lights]]'' (Pablo, 1976)
'''With [[Red Garland]]'''
* ''[[The Red Garland Trio + Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis]]'' (Moodsville, 1959)
'''With [[Dizzy Gillespie]]'''
* ''[[The Dizzy Gillespie Big 7]]'' (Pablo, 1975)
'''With [[Al Grey]]''' 
*''[[Shades of Grey (Al Grey album)|Shades of Grey]]'' ([[Tangerine Records (1963)|Tangerine]], 1965)
'''With [[Tiny Grimes]]'''
* ''[[Callin' the Blues]]'' (Prestige, 1958) 
'''With [[Coleman Hawkins]]'''
* ''[[Night Hawk (album)|Night Hawk]]'' (Swingville, 1960)
'''With [[Jo Jones]]'''
*''[[The Main Man]]'' (Pablo, 1977)
'''With [[Quincy Jones]]'''
* ''[[Golden Boy (Quincy Jones album)|Golden Boy]]'' (Mercury, 1964)
'''With Al Smith'''
* ''[[Hear My Blues]]'' (Bluesville, 1959)<ref>{{cite web|author=Alex Henderson |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/hear-my-blues-mw0000674756 |title=Hear My Blues - Mildred Anderson, Al Smith &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |date=1959-09-20 |access-date=2016-11-04}}</ref>  – with Shirley Scott; also released as ''Blues Shout!'' (Prestige, 1964)
'''With [[Sonny Stitt]]'''
* ''[[The Matadors Meet the Bull]]'' (Roulette, 1965)

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs artist|272685-Eddie-Lockjaw-Davis}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/defbbe54-02dd-4df1-a5b7-31724ff02133 Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis] at [[BBC Music]]
* {{YouTube|qoAAkqg1NyU|Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis}} performing with the [[Count Basie Orchestra]]
* {{Find a Grave|18679017}}
{{Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis}}
{{Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Eddie}}
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:1986 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American saxophonists]]
[[Category:African-American saxophonists]]
[[Category:American jazz tenor saxophonists]]
[[Category:American male jazz musicians]]
[[Category:American male saxophonists]]
[[Category:Apollo Records artists]]
[[Category:Bebop saxophonists]]
[[Category:Black & Blue Records artists]]
[[Category:Count Basie Orchestra members]]
[[Category:Enja Records artists]]
[[Category:Hard bop saxophonists]]
[[Category:Jazz tenor saxophonists]]
[[Category:Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band members]]
[[Category:Latin jazz saxophonists]]
[[Category:Muse Records artists]]
[[Category:Prestige Records artists]]
[[Category:Riverside Records artists]]
[[Category:Soul-jazz saxophonists]]
[[Category:SteepleChase Records artists]]
[[Category:Swing saxophonists]]
[[Category:Articles with quotation marks in the title]]