| Visit Our Catalog at SteelGuitarShopper.com |

Post new topic Johnny Davis
Reply to topic
Author Topic:  Johnny Davis
Billy Easton

 

From:
Nashville, TN USA
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2012 10:45 am    
Reply with quote

It is with great sadness that I report the death of steel guitarist and lead guitarist Johnny Davis of Surprise, AZ who passed away suddenly early this morning.
Johnny was to play at the SWSGA show next Saturday, and we were all looking forward to his set.
Johnny was a dear friend and a great musician...he played lead for Curly Chalker on the famous California Country Club video, and was an exceptional steel player as well. Johnny worked in California for years with the Gene Davis band and went by the name of Johnny Dee. He moved to Arizona about 10 years ago, and lived and worked in the Payson and Phoenix areas.
His wife Cindy could certainly use your prayers and good wishes at this time.
Rest in peace, old friend, we will miss you.

Billy and Meriul Easton
Las Vegas, NV
_________________
Billy & Meriul Easton
Nashville, TN
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2012 11:46 am    
Reply with quote

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear this news. I always admired his guitar playing and was really looking forward to hearing him on steel for the first time next weekend... Sad news. My condolences to his family and friends.
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Jerry Hayes


From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2012 12:38 pm    
Reply with quote

This really saddens me! I've known Johnny for over 45 years or more and he was one of the best musicians I've ever met or will ever meet. I haven't seen him since I left SoCal in 1985 and we've been out of touch. I got to play in bands with him a few times over the years and it was always a treat......

I remember the first time I met him in around '63 or '64. He was playing at the old Hitching Post in Gardena, Ca. I was playing a beer bar down the street called "Hap's Lucky Spot". I went down the street one night at break time and walked in the HP and saw the band coming back off break. There were two steels on the stage side by side. One on the end was a D-10 Endicott if I remember right and the other was a Fender 400 with 4 pedals. The band opened up with an up tempo swing instrumental and everybody took a cut and about halfway through the tune the lead guitarist sat down to the Fender and literally "blew the regular steelman right off the bandstand" with only one neck, half the pedals and 12 less strings. Johnny was that Lead guitar/steelman.......What a player.

He used to come to the after hours session at the old Blue Fox in Redondo Beach, Ca. and get up a do a guitar set where he'd imitate other famous guitarists. When he'd do Merle Travis, he'd put on a thumbpick and just use his right index finger for melody just like Merle did, when he'd do Chet, he'd use the thumbpick and all of his fingers. Johnny was a personal friend of Les Paul and could do all of Les' stuff too. I still attempt to play an instrumental JD wrote called "Lazy Guitar".

He also worked with Bob Crooks and Standel amps when they were a large force in music...... He'll be missed by all who knew him and heard him play.........RIP Johnny..........JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Billy Tonnesen

 

From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2012 2:11 pm    
Reply with quote

So sorry to hear that Johnny has passed on. I first knew Johnny in the early 60's here in So. Calif. We worked a short time together when Johnny played lead guitar on the Jack Tucker Band at the Pionner Room. We would still run into each other over the years on some Casuals. I agree with Jerry Hayes that Johnny was just a fine musician, nice guy and easy to work with. It was amazing what he could get out of that Fender 400 with just four pedals.
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Ron Whitworth


From:
Yuma,Ariz.USA Yeah they say it's a DRY heat !!
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2012 4:32 pm    
Reply with quote

WOW !!!!! What a shock this is !!!!!!!!!!
I was so looking forward to hear him play the pedal steel guitar. I had the great honor to be on stage with him 2 times thanks to my good friend Dave Beatty.
He was a knocked out lead guitar player & we had so much fun working together - this is so sad..
We will send prayers out to his wife.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
May he rest in peace.
Ron

PS - I forgot to add but did want to say this :
He was such a great guitar player but very, very humble.He would not take a lead run until everyone else had played what they wanted to play - you just do not see many great musician's like that today.
Ron
_________________
"Tone is in the hands. Unless your wife will let you buy a new amp. Then it's definitely in that amp."

We need to turn the TWANG up a little

It's not what you play through, it's what you play through it.

They say that tone is all in the fingers...I say it is all in your head Smile

Some of the best pieces of life are the little pieces all added up..Ron

the value of friendship. Old friends shine like diamonds, you can always call them and - most important - you can't buy them.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Ron Epperson

 

From:
Riverside,Calif. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2012 5:50 pm    
Reply with quote

goodby my friend take it to the top i know ther is somebody waiting for you in heaven we go back all the way to about 1968 we used to all hang out at jimmy hills house trade liks and work on junk cars or whatever we could johnny worked with me and eddy drake for awhile we use to do alot of after hours together i hope somebody lets earl pool ball know. we will be thinking about cindy in our prayers miss you ole friend
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Al Bruno

 

From:
Nevada, USA - R.I.P.
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2012 6:37 pm     Pic of Johnny Davis & Al Bruno at SW Steel Guitar Conven
Reply with quote


I first met John in California in 1965. It was my first time doing Cal's Corral & I was so nervous & then I met John, one hell of a musician & he put me at ease & we instantly became friends. We've worked together so many times on club gigs & studio sessions. He was a great steel player & guitarist. I will miss my brother. Loved him much!!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Ray Harrison


From:
Tucson, Arizona, USA (deceased)
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2012 7:20 pm    
Reply with quote

I was on the phone with Johnny yeaterday visiting about the upcoming steel show in Phoenix and how much I was looking forward to hearing him play again. I had not heard him on steel since the 70's.
We had a great visit and he told me about his new P/U on his steel and how great it sounded. We determined that we had met in 1973 vice what I had thought, 78-79.
Great guy, terrific musician.
I guess Curley has his favorite guitar player with him at last.
_________________
Ray Harrison
Bass/sing/Love PSG
77 Stingray/Kiesel 5 string bass
Telonics , Fender Rumble500, Polytone Amps
D-16 Martin, 1970 Ovation guitars
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Mike Perlowin


From:
Los Angeles CA
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2012 7:35 pm    
Reply with quote

This is so sad. I first saw Johnny when he played with Curly Chalker at the concert produced be Jack Lox (Jack produced 6 steel guitar concerts between 1986 and 1988,) that can be seen on the video Billy mentioned. As I watched him play, I thought I was watching 2 of the best musicians (him and Chalker) I had ever seen.

Johnny played steel on one of Jack's subsequent concerts, and he was just as good on steel as he was on guitar.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Darvin Willhoite


From:
Roxton, Tx. USA
Post  Posted 13 Jan 2012 7:43 pm    
Reply with quote

Wow, this is a shock. Mark Giles and I were talking about him this afternoon, about how great a guitar player he was. I really enjoyed his playing the years he played in the band in Phoenix. Al Vescovo, and now Johnny. The good guys are slippin' away.
_________________
Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.


Last edited by Darvin Willhoite on 14 Jan 2012 7:14 pm; edited 1 time in total
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Herb Steiner

 

From:
Spicewood TX 78669
Post  Posted 14 Jan 2012 10:12 am    
Reply with quote

Wow, now this is really, really sad. Crying or Very sad I was looking forward to hearing Johnny again on steel (I remember him from the Gene Davis band back in the '60s and early 70's), and I was gonna ask him to play guitar on my set in Phoenix, as he'd done in years gone by.

First Al, now Johnny. This reminds me of talking to Ben Brogdon about what we were gonna do at SWSGA, and then the next day he was gone.

January weirds me out. Jim Murphy passed away while I was in AZ, and Jimmy Day died in January 1999. The herd is thinning out for us old-timers, it seems.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Mark Dunn

 

From:
Suffolk, England
Post  Posted 15 Jan 2012 2:48 pm    
Reply with quote

This is terribly sad news – I met Johnny, his wife and a few friends last year. He was an unbelievable master of both guitar and steel… I was completely blown away by his playing and modest friendly nature. Our thoughts are very much with his family and friends. RIP my friend.

Mark
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Skeeter Stultz

 

From:
LOMITA, California, USA
Post  Posted 15 Jan 2012 9:17 pm    
Reply with quote

RIP my friend, Glad I got to jam with you a few times. I never had the pleasure of working a steady job with Johnny but just knowing him was to my benefit. Johnny was a great guitar/steel player yet he was humble towards others. No matter what the guy at the mic was singing Johnny's backup and turn would fit like it was supposed to. Even though I haven't seen you for a long time, the idea that you're gone hits me.
_________________
GFI ULTRA D-10, EVANS, FENDER 2000 (WORN OUT) TWIN REVERB W/JBL'S, OLD 4-10 BASSMAN
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Larry Bales

 

From:
Las Vegas, NV.
Post  Posted 16 Jan 2012 3:28 pm     Johnny
Reply with quote

Played many gigs together in SoCal. Rest in Peace my friend.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Bill Bailey

 

From:
Kingman, AZ
Post  Posted 16 Jan 2012 10:33 pm     Johnny Davis
Reply with quote

Sad Ron Epperson, Jimmy Hill is a friend of mine and told me that he learned steel from Johnny Davis, I will contact Jimmy tomorrow, by the way, Jimmy sold his Deckley and has not been pickin since the death of his side kick Eddy Sax. I met Johnny and Al Bruno at the SWSGA a couple of years ago and have some pictures some where. RIP Johnny
_________________
Bill Bailey
Kingman Arizona
2014 Mullen G2 D 10 8+5 Black
92 Emmons Lashley LeGrande D-10
Two Nashville 400 Amps and Nashvill 112.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Ron Epperson

 

From:
Riverside,Calif. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 17 Jan 2012 3:34 am    
Reply with quote

yes bill u r right we used to go jimmys house back in the 70s and swap licks i seen jimmy last year in kingman and he told me he was going to get back to playing i believe the last time i heard him play was in oltman with john lacy or as i knew him john stax eddy sax was a good friend of mine also ok my friend u take care
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Jerry Hayes


From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
Post  Posted 23 Jan 2012 4:51 am    
Reply with quote

Does anyone know the circumstances of John's passing, was it an accident, coronary or what? I've had a couple of emails asking if I knew.... Thanks for any info you might have.....JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Joe Casey


From:
Weeki Wachee .Springs FL (population.9)
Post  Posted 23 Jan 2012 5:43 am    
Reply with quote

Sad to hear this one of my first SoCal heroes in 62-63..I won't claim to have been a friend of his as I only got to sit in or be around him a few times..When I first met him he was playing a week nite gig at the Rag Doll on a street off of Lankershim Blvd in LA with Jimmy Snyder..His Brother Gary and wife Gail and I were friends and talked me into going out to hear and meet him that night..I had mentioned to Gary that I had heard a fabulous guitar player one night and told him who it was..I was surprised when he told me it was his brother....Gary and I got to do a couple songs together with Johnny on Steel..I got to chat a few times with him at the old HP ballroom during the Cals Coral KCOP 13 show on a few Sundays Lee Ross and I were there..This is a big loss..
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Doc Rickles

 

From:
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 24 Jan 2012 4:40 pm     Johnny Davis, Best I ever heard.
Reply with quote

I was working a club in Wahiwa Hawaii in 1960 and our lead man was Gary Davis who was also an excellent guitarest. I suppose Johnny was visiting Gary and came and set in a couple of nights. Gary had told me about his brother but he was the best I have ever heard then and now. I never heard him play steel but I sure would have liked to. Haven't seen either one since early 60'S but I WILL NEVER FORGET THEM.
May his family and loved ones be comforted at this time of sorrow. We will certainly be lifting them up in prayer.

Doc Rickles
_________________
GFI Red and Black SD 10 3/4 Keyless, Fender Jazzmaster Head, Special Jensen 12" Speaker Cab, New Hilton Pedal, Epiphone ES 295,60th Aniv 52 Custom Shop Tele,Tacoma Chief CKK9C Koa Wood
Wonderful Wife who loves all this stuff.
"Steel Away and Pray Everyday."
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Dale Bennett

 

From:
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2012 10:40 am     Johnny Davis
Reply with quote

Like everyone else, i'm so sorry the hear about Johnny. I knew him in Ca. and got to pick with him some and alway enjoyed his style. God Bless you Johnny, you will be missed. Dale Bennett
_________________
Dale Bennett
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Harley Morris

 

From:
Riverside, California, USA * R.I.P.
Post  Posted 4 Feb 2012 10:08 pm     Johnny Davis
Reply with quote

Myself, like Jerry Hayes, met Johnny at the Hitching Post in Gardena..It was back in 62. He was working in a 'four piece' with a drummer, Bill Bacon on bass, Dave Knight on steel, and Johnny on lead. Johnny would bring his steel to the gig and do some twinning with Dave on occasion, and what a treat that was!
I had the pleasure to cut an album with him in the eary or mid 70s. Johnny played steel, and guirar, we had a drummer and a bassman, and I played fiddle.. We did a tribute to Bob Wills, and did all instrumentals of Wills things... It was a real treat to be able to do that with him.. I think that anyone who knew him will really miss him..

Harley Morris
_________________
Ted Kennedy's cars have killed more people than all of my firearms.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Billy Easton

 

From:
Nashville, TN USA
Post  Posted 28 Feb 2012 7:16 pm    
Reply with quote

I just got an email from Cindy Davis, Johnny's widow, who asked that I post this message from her.

"The comments made by the musicians in the Steel Guitar Forum of Johnny's sudden death are greatly appreciated. Johnny's life was music. He always strived to play better each time he picked up his guitar or sat behind his steel. Johnny gave God the credit for his talent; now Johnny can 'jam' in heaven with all the musicians already there. It is pleasing to know that Johnny will be missed. Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers. Cindy Davis"

Billy Easton
Las Vegas, NV
_________________
Billy & Meriul Easton
Nashville, TN
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Jump to:  
Please review our Forum Rules and Policies
Our Online Catalog
Strings, CDs, instruction, and steel guitar accessories
www.SteelGuitarShopper.com

The Steel Guitar Forum
148 S. Cloverdale Blvd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA

Click Here to Send a Donation

Email SteelGuitarForum@gmail.com for technical support.


BIAB Styles
Ray Price Shuffles for Band-in-a-Box
by Jim Baron