Introduction
Eunice Davis (February 23, 1920—July 13, 1999) was an American rhythm and blues and jump blues singer and lyricist, best remembered for her 1950 hit "Rock Little Daddy".
Early life
Eunice Davis was born Eunice Emile Davis in Dublin, Georgia, on February 23, 1920, to Oscar Wright and his wife Gussie Lee White.
When she was two and a half years old, her family relocated to Glassboro, New Jersey. Six months later, they permanently moved to New York City.
Career
Before getting a start in music in the 1950s, Davis did many odd jobs, from working as a dishwasher, then as a cook, and then as an usherette at the Apollo Theater on 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Her decision to work at the Apollo emerged from her desire to stay close to music and hopefully meet the music celebrities she admired growing up. She indeed met many famed musicians of the day, such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Andy Kirk, and Billie Holiday.
During this time, Davis entered Apollo's amateur singing competition, singing "Moanin' Low", a popular 1929 torch song by The Charleston Chasers with vocals by Eva Taylor. While she did not win any prize, she caught the attention of the wife of pianist Luis Russell who recommended her to Russell. Shortly after, she was asked by Russell to join him in a rehearsal, although nothing came of this relationship as Russell was working with another singer and held by a contract.
Davis then came in contact with Freddie Mitchell, a saxophonist from Tampa, Florida, who at the time was working with the newly founded label Derby Records. Mitchell, who, up to that point, had mostly recorded instrumentals for Derby, asked Davis to come up with a few songs. Davis wrote the songs, but before taking them to Mitchell, she borrowed fifty dollars from singer Alberta Hunter to copyright them for a total of hundred dollars. One of those songs was "Rock Little Daddy", which took Davis 15 minutes to write, but three hours for Mitchell to convince Derby executive Larry Newton to record it. She recorded the song with Mitchell's Orchestra right away and it was released just after Christmas of 1950. The copyright for the song mentions both Davis and Alberta Hunter. The song, featuring a rock n' roll sound mixed with a walking blues pattern on piano, was an instant hit for Derby and launched Davis' career. The New York Variety Magazine described Davis as a "thrush with a good set of pipes". Disc jockey Alan Freed frequently played "Rock Little Daddy" on his WJW program "The Moondog House".
Cecil Gant's 1951 song "Rock Little Baby" is based on "Rock Little Daddy".
In a 1953 interview with Jet Magazine (founded by John H. Johnson), Davis said that she was still a cook when she began singing and insisted on a provision in her contract that she would be allowed to cook her own meals.
After "Rock Little Daddy", Davis made a few more recordings on Derby with the Freddie Mitchell Orchestra—"Got News For You Baby", "Tell Me, I'm The Baby", "Evening Train", and "I'm A Wild West Woman".
In 1951, Davis also recorded with The Ravens (an R&B vocal group formed in 1946 by Jimmy Ricks and Warren Suttles) and trumpeter Cootie Williams.
With her popularity continuing to soar, Davis performed at the Apollo three times and also did gigs at venues in New Jersey; Detroit, Michigan; Montreal, Canada; and Cleveland, Ohio. After her first performance at the Apollo, John W. Bubbles, a vaudeville performer who worked in a duo with Buck Washington, compared Davis to Florence Mills, a famous cabaret singer and dancer of her day.
After her contract with Derby ended, Davis performed at the Earl Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Moms Mabley, Slim Gaillard, and the Clovers. With Hot Lips Page, she did a gig in the Frankford neighborhood of Philadelphia.
In the fall of 1951, Davis entered a limited contract with Coral Records and released "What Do You Want", "I Want A Wild One", "Hot Rod Baby", and "Work Daddy Work" (with pianist Van "Piano Man" Walls) in November 1951. Despite her strong vocals, the records failed to compete with the top tunes of the moment—Ruth Brown's "Wild, Wild Young Men", Hot Lips Page's "Drive It Home", Willie Mae Thornton's "Hound Dog", and The Clovers' "Crawlin'" (written by Rudy Toombs). Due to poor sales, her other songs, "Take Me Back" and "Little Girl, Do You Want To Ride?" were not issued.
In 1953, Atlantic Records executive Ahmet Ertegun signed Davis on for a five-year contract. The first two tracks from this engagement were "My Beat Is 125th Street" and "Go To Work Pretty Daddy" with saxophonist Sam "The Man" Taylor.
In December 1953, Davis headlined at Harlem's Dawn Casino, supported by the Five Crowns and Big Joe Medlin.
In 1954, she recorded "Get Your Enjoys" and "Twenty-Four Hours A Day" on Deluxe Records. "Get Your Enjoys" did okay, but not as well as those belted out by The Moonglows, Etta James, and Johnny Ace.
Davis then signed a contract with Grand Records of Pennsylvania and moved to Pittsburgh. With Grand, she recorded "Let's Have A Party" and "Every Time Your Lips Meet Mine" with Joel Turnero's orchestra. The releases met with poor sales figures and Davis largely withdrew from the music business.
One of her last appearances was at the Rousse Café in New York with Horace Silveron piano, Gerry Mulligan on saxophone, and Oscar Pettiford on bass.
In 1978, Davis moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where she began a romantic relationship with Louisiana Red, a blues guitarist, singer, and harmonica player.
In 1980, Davis recorded her last album, Eunice Davis Sings The Classic Blues (L+R Records) in which she sang her original compositions and songs of her idols—Memphis Minnie and Victoria Spivey. She was accompanied by Louisiana Red (dobro), Cab Lucky (guitar), Clem Moorman (piano), and Washboard Doc (washboard). That year, she also toured with the American Folk Blues Festival in Germany and recorded the album American Folk Blues Festival '80 on L+R Records.
In 1984, Davis moved to Los Angeles, California, with her third husband, Merv Fusch, where she founded the Davis-Fusch Graphics Company and wrote poems and songs.
Video: Rock Little Daddy
Death
Davis died in Long Beach, California, on July 13, 1999, at age 79.