Before tragedy intervened, English blues harmonica player Cyril Davies seemed uniquely positioned for success had disease not intervened. Born in Denham, England, on January 23, 1932, Davies picked up the harmonica after hearing Chicago blues hero Little Walter. Beyond performing with a succession of bands in the 1950s, Davies also ran a blues club, which brought over musicians from America and allowed him to witness the genuine article up close.
Davies played in the band Blues Incorporated -- which featured, at various points, Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, Brian Jones, Graham Bond -- in the early ‘60s, but split off to form his own band in the interest of remaining true to the blues sound. The resulting outfit was the Cyril Davies (R&B) All-Stars, which was rounded out by four members plucked from Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages.
The band released two singles on Pye Records -- four songs in total -- before Davies contracted pleurisy, collapsed onstage during a London gig, and died on January 7, 1964, as a result of heart inflammation. The band carried on as a studio outfit, fronted by vocalist Long John Baldry, and would feature Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page in later lineups.
