{{short description|American R&B saxophonist, bandleader and record producer (1916–1970)}} {{distinguish|Peter Maxwell Davies|Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | name = Maxwell Davis | image = Maxwell Davis.jpg | caption = | image_size = | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = Thomas Maxwell Davis, Jr. | alias = | birth_date = {{birth date|1916|01|14}} | birth_place = Independence, Kansas, United States | death_date = {{death date and age|1970|09|18|1916|01|14}} | death_place = Los Angeles, California, United States | instrument = Saxophone | genre = Swing, Jazz, rhythm and blues Urban Blues | occupation = Saxophonist, arranger, record producer | years_active = 1937–1970 | label = | website = }}
'''Thomas Maxwell Davis, Jr.''' (January 14, 1916 – September 18, 1970),<ref name="bare">{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues: A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger Publishers| location= Santa Barbara, California| page=353 | isbn= 978-0313344237}}</ref> was an American rhythm and blues saxophonist, arranger, bandleader and record producer.
==Biography== Davis was born in Independence, Kansas in 1916. In 1937, he moved to Los Angeles, California, playing saxophone in the Fletcher Henderson orchestra. After some years playing swing and jazz, he became more involved in the West Coast R&B scene in the mid-1940s, becoming a regular session musician and arranger for the fast-growing independent record labels such as Aladdin.<ref name="AMG">{{cite web|author=Bill Dahl |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxwell-davis-mn0000337243 |title=Maxwell Davis | Biography & History |website=AllMusic |access-date=2016-01-26}}</ref> He also recorded with the Jay McShann band, featuring the blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon. He was hired to play the soundtrack for the saxophonist part acted by Big Jay McNeely in the 1950 noir film ''D.O.A.''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=Jim|author1-link = Jim Dawson |title=Nervous man nervous : Big Jay McNeely and the rise of the honking tenor sax!|url-access = registration |date=1994 |publisher=Big Nickel Publications |location=Milford, NH |isbn=0936433175 |page=46 |url=https://archive.org/details/nervousmannervou0000daws/page/46/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=12 June 2025}}</ref> By 1952, Davis had played on numerous R&B hits by Percy Mayfield, Peppermint Harris, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, T-Bone Walker, Amos Milburn, and others.<ref name="Credits"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Maxwell-Davis.html|title=Maxwell Davis Biography|website=Oldies.com|access-date=28 November 2018}}</ref> He also arranged and played on Little Willie Littlefield's 1952 "K. C. Lovin'" for Federal Records.
In 1955, he left Aladdin and joined the Bihari brothers at Modern Records (and its subsidiaries RPM, Crown and Kent) as musical director and a producer.<ref name="Sunday"/> As the Biharis' main band leader, Davis arranged the music and found the musicians.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://crownrecordsstory.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/maxwell-davis/|title=Maxwell Davis|date=April 30, 2014|website=Music By The Pound|language=en}}</ref> Although his success rate started to diminish thereafter,<ref name="AMG"/> he became regarded as an elder statesman and as "the father of West Coast R&B".
"Maxwell Davis is an unsung hero of early rhythm and blues," noted the songwriter and producer Mike Stoller. "He produced, in effect, all of the record sessions for Aladdin records, Modern records, all the local independent rhythm and blues companies in the early 1950s, late 1940s in Los Angeles."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.themusic.com.au/im_m/guest.php|title=THEMUSIC.COM.AU - In Music & Media - Guest Editorial|date=July 15, 2007|website=Archive.ph|access-date=February 23, 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070715050952/http://www.themusic.com.au/im_m/guest.php|archive-date=2007-07-15}}</ref>
His final recording activity was in 1969, as the producer of the soul singer Z. Z. Hill.<ref name="Credits">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxwell-davis-mn0000337243/credits|title=Maxwell Davis - Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=28 November 2018}}</ref><ref name="Sunday">{{cite web|url=https://sundayblues.org/?tag=maxwell-davis|title=Maxwell Davis « Big Road Blues|first=Ajay|last=D'Souza|website=Sundayblues.org|access-date=28 November 2018}}</ref>
Davis died from a heart attack, in Los Angeles, California, in September 1970.<ref name="bare"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2009/10/maxwell-davis-and-his-tenor-sax.html|title=Be Bop Wino: Maxwell Davis And His Tenor Sax|last=Boogiewoody|date=17 October 2009|website=Bebopwinorip.blogspot.com|access-date=28 November 2018}}</ref>
==Discography== ===As sideman=== ;With B. B. King *1956: ''Singin' the Blues'' (Crown)
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Maxwell}} Category:1916 births Category:1970 deaths Category:Record producers from Kansas Category:Songwriters from Kansas Category:People from Independence, Kansas Category:American male saxophonists Category:Rhythm and blues saxophonists Category:4 Star Records artists Category:Modern Records artists Category:RPM Records (United States) artists Category:West Coast blues musicians Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:20th-century American saxophonists Category:20th-century American male musicians Category:Aladdin Records artists Category:American male songwriters Category:20th-century American songwriters