Jackie Davis

Jackson "Jackie" Davis was born on December 13, 1920, in Jacksonville, Florida. At a very young age, Davis learned to play piano, and by the age of 8, he was playing with a local dance band. He attended Florida A&M College (now University), graduating in 1943 with a bachelor's degree in music. After serving in the Army, Davis worked as a piano accompanist for legendary jazz artists such as Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Billy Daniels. Later becoming attracted to playing the organ, he bought his first Hammond electric organ in 1951. As a result, Davis became world renowned as the first musician to popularize jazz on the Hammond organ. By the mid-1950's, he began leading his own sessions, and in 1956, he released his first album 'Hi-Fi Hammond' on Capitol Records. Davis spent 5 years recording albums for Capitol before moving over to Warner Brothers Records in 1961, releasing his first album for the label, 'Easy Does It'. In 1978, Davis was hired to accompany Ella Fitzgerald on h