Ellis CeDell Davis, born on June 9, 1926 in Helena, Arkansas, was an American blues guitarist and singer. He began playing harmonica and guitar at a young age but developed polio at ten years old which left him with limited use of his hands, which led to his distinctive style of guitar playing known as the butter knife method. Davis started performing in nightclubs across the Mississippi Delta area and played with Robert Nighthawk from 1953 to 1963. His music gained critical acclaim when released by Fat Possum Records, including Feel Like Doin’ Something Wrong (1993), The Best of CeDell Davis (1994), and When Lightnin' Struck the Pine (2002), featuring musicians Peter Buck and Barrett Martin. Davis passed away on September 27, 2017 in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
