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Our Man Morgan

Published May 1, 1996 in Features
Morgan Davis

Morgan Davis

Morgan Davis

This year’s recipient of the Blues With A Feeling Award is Morgan Davis, a veteran of the Canadian blues scene for over twenty years. The award will be presented on Monday, May 27 at the newly re-opened Silver Dollar during the TBS’s 11th Anniversary Bash. It only seems appropriate that the evening’s entertainment will be provided by Morgan and his band, helped along with a few musical guests.


I first met Morgan in 1973 at the Westminster Hotel on Jarvis Street where Carey Bell (then playing the Le Coq D’Or with Willie Dixon) was staying. Individually, we had both gone up to room four-nineteen for a visit in hopes of doing a little jamming and learning some early lessons in the blues. It was also around that time that we played together at the Colonial Tavern with piano player Sunnyland Slim. We weren’t paid, but it was indeed a huge thrill to be playing with a legend. Slim wouldn’t let just anybody play, either. Earlier in the week, I remember another guitar player got up to sit in but was promptly told to sit back down because he didn’t make the grade.

Like many baby boomers, Morgan’s first exposure to the blues came in the early sixties from hearing the Rolling Stones. Noticing the song credits on their early albums, he started checking out records by the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Willie Dixon. Impressed by the honesty and rawness in these records, he was immediately hooked. Tracing the blues back from Chicago to the delta he soon became familiar with recordings of Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Tommy Johnson and a host of other Mississippi delta artists.

Morgan spent his childhood years in Detroit, and later moved to Southern California when his dad’s job was transferred there. On the coast he played in a variety of bands from the time he was sixteen. In 1968, Davis came to Toronto, his move determined by his opposition to the Viet Nam war. He took up residence at the legendary Rochdale College, where he met Oklahoma guitar player Slim Smith who had also fled to Canada to avoid the draft. The two teamed up and played a mixed bag, Slim singing Hank Williams tunes with Davis on slide guitar, and Davis focusing on Robert Johnson and delta blues material. They soon landed their first gig at a most unlikely spot, Wave’s Fish & Chips on Bloor Street. They were paid little but the gig did have its perks~ all the fish and chips they could eat!

In the seventies, Davis hit the road with the Rhythm Rockets and then formed The Knights of The Mystic Sea. The Knights became one of Toronto’s busiest blues bands, performing regularly in the hottest clubs at that time such as the El Mocambo, The Ports, the Midwich Cuckoo, and the Isabella. Later, he joined the first David Wilcox Band. After his stint with Wilcox he moved back to California for two years where he played in a band with Fabulous Thunderbird’s pianoman, Gene Taylor and harp player James Harman.Throughout his many years on the road Morgan sought out and jammed with many of his heroes~ Muddy Waters, John Hammond, Bukka White, and Hubert Sumlin. Morgan recounts playing the song Got My Mojo Working a few years back with longtime Muddy Waters’ drummer Willie “Big Eye” Smith as one of his career highs… and those that know Morgan know he’s had many highs in his long career.

In 1982 Morgan recorded his first album, “I’m Ready To Play “on Bullhead Records. One of his songs from that album, Why’d You Lie was later picked up by Colin James and became a hit. Six years ago, he released his self titled album on Stoney Plain. Produced by Colin Linden, it was nominated for a Juno Award. Another CD followed this, entitled “Live”. Davis tours regularly with his band as well as solo, playing clubs and festivals across Canada. Occasionally, you can hear him in tandem with yours truly at various venues throughout Ontario.

I’ve known few people who pay as much attention to the nuances of blues music as Morgan Davis does. He’s devoted a lifetime to study this music and I respect that. Blues is much more than three chords and a twelve bar progression. It might be the way a drummer drags on the snare just that one time after a particular verse, a weird slur the bass player hits, strange guitar fingerings, a dropped beat, or whatever.

Willie Dixon, when asked to define the blues said, “The blues is truth”. Morgan Davis has been true to the blues. Over the years, many musical styles have come and gone. It seems blues becomes acceptable to the masses maybe every seven years or so. When its hip, suddenly there’s a lot of musicians riding high on the ol’ blues bandwagon. These are the same players who don’t think twice about jumping off and joining the ranks of new country, new wave, punk, funk, alternative, top forty, or whatever else becomes the musical flavor of the month. Morgan’s never sold out. As a matter of fact, he’s never even been on the bandwagon. He’s one of the guys down in the dirt pulling it along.

by Al Lerman

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The Toronto Blues Society acknowledges the annual support of the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage, and project support from FACTOR< and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Broadcasters, The Canada Council for the Arts, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.