There is a 1989 CD release on the Wolf Records label, Chicago Blues Session Vol. 11, by Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis that is startling for its directness, clarity, overall haunting atmosphere, and sheer forcefulness and power.  It is raw, primal, and unquestionably disturbing in its affect upon the listener.  It is akin to a caged lion incessantly pacing, the tension increasing with every step.  It sets its talons in upon the listener and will not release.  It’s mesmerizing and addictive.  At least to this blogger’s ears, it is easily one of the starkest modern blues releases, and it succeeds on every front.

I recently placed a picture of the CD on this Blog’s Facebook page in recognition that I had it in my CD player as my evening’s musical backdrop, and none other than the blues musical jukebox who I admire ever so greatly, Rockin’ Johnny Burgin, commented that he had to hear it.  And therein lies the rub for me; despite the interesting back story and profound blues capabilities of Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis, he remains a relative unknown.  With any luck, a brief overview of his life, experiences, and blues proficiencies can shed some light on Davis’s story.

He was born Charles Thompson in early March, 1925.  Though Davis provided varying accounts of his birthplace, research has proffered that it is likely he came into the world in Tippo, Mississippi, a town in Tallahatchie County, a region in the upper northwestern portion of the state.  By chance, none other than future blues giant John Lee Hooker happened to be keeping company with one of Davis’s aunts, and it was this connection that led him to begin learning the rudiments of the guitar while a teenage youngster, as Hooker took it upon himself to help the fledgling musician with the instrument’s basics.  One can certainly hear that Hooker style in Davis’s blues through his use of droning one-chord attacks and frameworks.  Hooker’s influence is undeniable.

But early on, Davis did not only confine his musical and entertaining energies to his burgeoning blues guitar interests.  While a teen, he took it upon himself to find employment and outlets for his artistic creativity by enlisting himself into the traveling world of the minstrel shows, working with both the Silas Green From New Orleans outfit and the Rabbit Foot Minstrels.  In these shows, he showcased his dexterity as a dancer by doing the buck dance, an improvisational form of solo step dancing, along with other unique innovative skills that captivated audiences.  He even went to the extreme and employed a walking on glass routine in his fervent desire to drive spectators to heights of entertainment pleasure.

It is generally believed that Davis made the decision at age 21 to move north out of Mississippi to Detroit in 1946 to reunite with his mentor John Lee Hooker.  Together, the pair worked together on the city’s bustling blues scene pretty much through the 1940s.  Here is where research gets somewhat murky, as some accounts have Davis relocating once again for a brief period to Cincinnati, Ohio, before he decided to again move, this time to either Memphis, Tennessee or Greenville or Clarksdale, Mississippi. 

It is known that Davis recorded a couple of cuts in 1952 for the Sun Records label entitled “Cold Hands” and “4^th and Broad,” though neither song was issued, though it is said that the tunes were offered to both the powerful Chess Records and Bullet Records.  And, it is acknowledged that for some time Davis performed on Mississippi radio broadcasts in the 1957 timeframe.  There seems to be a lot of unknowns and conjecture in Davis’s physical movements and professional development timelines. 

In 1958, Davis again decided to make the move northward, this time during the blues’ surging heyday.  And like many arriving bluesmen in Chicago, he was savvy enough to realize that the best way to get himself noticed was to play his blues on the Maxwell Street open-air market for both tips and the aforementioned valuable awareness of his talents.  While there, Davis often conjoined with percussionist Eddie “Porkchop” Hines, and the harmonica player King David to round out a full blues sound more indicative of Chicago’s urban blues framework.

After six years, in 1964, and as a married man, Davis and his wife made a major life decision when they took it upon themselves to start a Maxwell Street restaurant named The Knotty Pine Grill.  Not only did the business serve to provide an income stream, but it also allowed Davis to set-up out front of the eatery and perform his blues amid all the passers-by on the busy thoroughfare, both as a way to entice folks into the restaurant and to self-promote his music.  His brand of raw Mississippi blues certainly resonated with the urban Chicago Blacks who had migrated north.

Now, the exact timeline of when Davis formally took the performing name “Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis” is open to debate among many who have researched the happening; some suggest he actually selected it possibly as far back as sometime in the 1940s, or feasibly someone bestowed it upon him for his blues work on Maxwell Street.  Whatever the case, the name stuck.

As known, the 1960s were a time when the folk-blues boom hit, and young people everywhere were drawn to the earthy sounds of what was perceived as authentic music at its roots.  In 1965, Pete Welding, the noted blues producer and historian, is said to have come across Davis playing on Maxwell Street.  This meeting led to recording opportunities on both the Elektra and Testament Records imprints.   

It is interesting to note that a few years after his Elektra sessions, Davis briefly slid back down south to Memphis where he hooked up with a couple of musical associates and recorded a 45rpm release.  But he was soon back in Chicago.

Over the years, Davis intermittently recorded, with his output seeing the light of day on the Flyright Records, Sonet Records, and Takhoma Records labels.  And though his brand of blues was strong, it only seemed to gain traction among blues traditionalists, not leading him and his blues attributes to an expanded awareness and touring chances outside of Chicago and his open-air and occasional club work.

And, during a period in the 1980s, Davis renounced blues music fully and became a minister, but that pursuit didn’t last long, and he returned to what he knew and loved; performing blues.

Davis continued to perform outdoors for many years in Chicago, primarily on the city’s west side.  Young admirers were plentiful for Davis, and a couple of them, one who was a drummer and one who was a mandolin artist, served as musical collaborators with Davis, and this three-way configuration seemed to rejuvenate Davis’s musical interests.  He was refreshed by the lads’ enthusiasm for him and his blues style, and this ultimately led him to appearances at major blues events such as the Chicago Blues Festival and a major Mississippi blues festival.

It was in 1989 that Davis recorded the Wolf Records collection mentioned at the beginning of this writing, one that included Chicago drummers Kansas City Red and Tim Taylor, along with Chicago blues harmonica player Lester Davenport on a few cuts.

But yet here again is the case of a very highly talented Chicago blues artist in a city during periods when there was an overwhelming amount of talent who, for whatever combined reasons, was not able to break through to the next level and reap the rewards of his obvious blues capacities.  The blues purists knew, but not those on a greater scale inside or outside the great city.  Without a doubt, Davis was seen and heard by multitudes of people due to his Maxwell Street exposure, but that wasn’t enough. 

Davis died in late December, 1995 at the age of 70.  He was another of the vital connections between the blues’ rural roots in the Southern U.S. and how it adapted to the metropolitan swirl of the Northern U.S.’s major municipalities.