Benjamin Jackson Porter "Jackie" Davis was born on December 13, 1920, in Jacksonville, Florida, and was an American soul jazz singer, organist, and bandleader. He began playing piano at age ten and later studied music at Florida A&M University. Davis initially experimented with jazz on the pipe organ before transitioning to the Hammond organ, influenced by Wild Bill Davis and Bill Doggett. His solo career took off after a residency at Club Harlem in Philadelphia in 1951, leading to extensive touring across the United States. Davis signed with Capitol Records and released several albums, including Hi-Fi Hammond (1956) and Chasing Shadows (1957). In the 1960s, he signed to Warner Bros. Records, releasing Easy Does It as The Jackie Davis Quartet in 1963. He made a brief comeback in 1980 with an album for EMI and appeared in the film Caddyshack. Davis passed away on November 2, 1999, following a stroke.
