Morgan Davis is a known name in the music world. With his contribution to the blues genre for over fifty years, Morgan has made a name for himself in the industry. He has not only produced solo works, but Davis has also played for and with many popular artists and bands throughout his career.
Even in his five decades-long careers, Morgan has managed to keep much of his life away from the spotlight. But today we will take a deeper look at his life story and get to know him better.
Where Is Morgan Davis From?
The blues singer-songwriter and guitarist was born in Detroit, Michigan, and spent much of his childhood there. He grew up listening to a wide variety of rock and roll, early Motown sound, and rhythm and blues while artists such as Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Ike, Tina Turner, and Jimmy Reed were a constant. As a result, after moving to Southern California with his family in 1962, Morgan Davis was unimpressed with the music scene there.
At the age of 16, Davis apparently broke his leg and while cooped up in bed during his recovery process, he learned how to play guitar. Since then he has not put the instrument down. Well, besides his musical beginnings and inspirations, not much is known about Morgan Davis’ childhood and family.
But what we do know is that Morgan graduated from high school in 1965 and then enrolled at Long Beach State College. He was actively involved in the anti-war movement on campus and refused his 2-S student deferment. He was of draft age but because of his views on war, he chose to move to Canada rather than join the army.
When Did Morgan Davis Start His Professional Career?
After moving to Canada and settling in Toronto, Morgan briefly taught at a junior high school. But since he was in a city where Chicago blues bands were prominent, Davis too became interested in starting his own music career. He began his musical journey while residing at Rochdale College jamming with other performers locally. He then started booking his own gigs and found himself in the Rhythm Rockets band.
Eventually, Morgan Davis started his own blues band named the Knights of the Mystic Sea and performed at various spots in Toronto. Then in 1978, he formed Morgan Davis and The Catfish and the band became a staple in Toronto’s blues scene. He also performed alongside blues legends, Snooky Pryor and Hubert Sumlin, his personal heroes at various clubs.
A few years later, the Detroit-born musician embarked on a solo career. But after no established label showed interest in his music, Morgan established his own label named Bullhead Records. Through the label he released his debut album, I’m Ready to Play! in 1982. His self-titled LP, Morgan Davis was released through Stony Plain Records in 1989. Following this, Davis put out a few other music projects and some of which are listed below:
- Morgan Davis Live
- Blues Medicine
- Hogtown Years
- Painkiller
- At Home in Nova Scotia
- Drive My Blues Away
- I Got My Own
Morgan Davis’ music career has passed the five-decade mark and he has received numerous awards for his albums. Also, throughout the years he has performed with various artists. He has opened shows for Albert King, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, and John Hammond. He has also shared the stage with James Cotton, Johnny Shines, and Muddy Waters among other musicians.
As stated on his website, Morgan averaged 200 days a year on the road before the coronavirus pandemic. He seems to have started performing at various venues again and we wish Davis even more success in the coming days.
Who Is Morgan Davis’ Wife?
While Morgan Davis is a big name in the Canadian blues scene, much regarding his personal life has been hidden from the spotlight. But after much sleuthing, we found out that the talented singer-songwriter is married to his wife named Vikki.
Moreover, he also mentioned his daughter, Rosie in a few of his interviews. Sadly, Morgan Davis’ daughter, Rosalee Davis passed away suddenly in 2020. While announcing the difficult news, the blues musician shared that Rosie too was a musician and performed in the US and Europe with various punk bands.
We share our condolences for the Davis family and wish strength to Morgan and his wife to get through this difficult loss.