Cyril Davies
| Cyril Davies | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 January 1932 Denham, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Died | 7 January 1964 (aged 31) London, England |
| Genres | British blues, Chicago blues, rhythm and blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Harmonica, vocals |
| Years active | Early 1950s–1964 |
| Associated acts | Cyril Davies All-Stars, Blues Incorporated, Long John Baldry, Alexis Korner, Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages |
Cyril Davies (23 January 1932 – 7 January 1964) was a blues musician and one of the first British blues harmonica players.
Born at St Mildred's, 15 Hawthorn Drive, Willowbank, Denham, Buckinghamshire, near London, he was the son of William Albert Davies, a labourer, and his wife Margaret Mary (née Jones). He had an elder brother named Glyn, and the family is believed to have come from Wales.
Cyril Davies began his career in the early 1950s first within Steve Lane's Southern Stompers, then in 1955 formed an acoustic skiffle and blues group with Alexis Korner. He began as a banjo and 12-string guitar player before becoming a Chicago-style blues harmonica player after hearing Little Walter. Working by day as a panel beater, he ran an unsuccessful skiffle club before meeting Korner, then Davies and Korner opened a London Rhythm and Blues club "England's Firstest and Bestest Skiffle Club", later known as the "London Blues and Barrelhouse Club". Popular with other musicians, the club hosted gigs by blues musicians such as Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Memphis Slim.
During this period Davies and Korner worked as session musicians, and often backed Ottilie Patterson during her featured set with husband Chris Barber's band, using amplified instruments for the first time – which did not go down well with their blues purist audience and many fellow musicians. After closing the blues club, Davies and Korner went their separate ways, and, influenced by Muddy Waters electric sound, Davies formed his own electric blues band.
In 1961, Chris Barber recruited Davies and Korner to play harmonica and electric guitar in accompanying Barber's band regularly at its Wednesday and Friday night sets at the Marquee Club, a popular London jazz club. This opportunity granted Davies and Korner some exposure to the London music scene, but the duo wished to focus more on blues and R&B. The two decided to found their own rhythm and blues group and, in a show of support, Barber offered them the intermission slot at the Marquee on Wednesday nights.
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