Ellis CeDell Davis was born June 9, 1926, in Helena, Ark., to Johnny and Mary Davis. After hearing those recordings, Robert Palmer, the New York Times critic, traveled to juke joints around the Arkansas Delta to hear Davis play in person. Palmer became Davis' friend and champion, drawing attention to Davis with his widely read 1981 book "Deep Blues." Over the next few years, Davis released "The Horror of it All, the CeDell Davis Album" and a greatest-hits collection with Mississippi's Fat Possum Records. Sources: www.AmericanBluesScene.com - BREAKING: Cedell Davis Dead at 90; www.ANaturalStateFuneralService.com - Arkansas bluesman Ellis "Cedell" Davis, 91; www.EncyclopediaofArkansas.net - Davis, Ellis CeDell; www.FatPossum.com - CeDell Davis; www.NYTimes.com - CeDell Davis, Bluesman Who Played Guitar With a Knife, Dies at 91; www.Wikipedia.com - CeDell Davis.

Source: New York Times June 20, 2022 08:50 UTC