Notable people · Music · Jazz
Wild Bill Davison
William Edward Davison was born in Defiance and became one of the best-known jazz cornet players of his generation. He played in Chicago in the 1920s and was long linked with bandleader Eddie Condon.
At a glance
- Born
- 1906-01-05
- Died
- 1989-11-14
- Known as
- Music, Jazz
- Organizations
- Eddie Condon's bands
Life story
William Edward Davison was born January 5, 1906, in Defiance. He took up the cornet and by the 1920s was playing in the lively Chicago jazz scene beside musicians such as Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher.
He became better known in the 1940s. From the middle of that decade he worked closely with guitarist and bandleader Eddie Condon, and kept at it until Condon's last concert in April 1972.
He made albums for Blue Note, Commodore and Chiaroscuro. The poet Philip Larkin, a fan, praised his bent notes and heavy vibrato while noting that every note was shaped with care.
He was nicknamed Wild Bill for his hard-living reputation in his younger years. He died in Santa Barbara, California, on November 14, 1989, at age 83.
Timeline
- 1906-01-05: Born (Defiance, OH) source
- 1920s: Emerges as a cornetist in Chicago jazz alongside Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher (Chicago, IL) source
- 1940s: Gains wider recognition source
- 1945: Begins long association with Eddie Condon (mid-1940s) (New York) source
- 1972-04: Plays at Condon's final concert source
- 1989-11-14: Dies at age 83 (Santa Barbara, CA) source
What Wild is known for
- Leading Dixieland jazz cornetist, 1920s-1980s
- Played with Eddie Condon from the mid-1940s to 1972
- Albums for Blue Note, Commodore and Chiaroscuro labels
Honors and things named for them
- Remembered by poet Philip Larkin as an expressive cornetist
Ohio places
Where Wild Bill Davison was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Defiance, Defiance County ZIP 43512 · Defiance · Defiance County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Bill Davison birth in Defiance, career, style, labels, death in Santa Barbara 1989