John Gustave Davis (April 11, 1910 – October 28, 1983) was an American actor, singer and trumpeter. Born in

Brazil, Indiana Brazil is a city in Clay County, Indiana, United States. The population was 7,912 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Clay County. It is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area. The current chief executive of Brazil ...

, into a family of musicians, Davis developed an interest in music during his childhood. He learned to play the trumpet and by the age of 13 was performing with his grandfather's band. After graduating from high school he worked as a musician for several orchestras, including theater orchestras in nearby

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

, Indiana, such as Paul Johnson's orchestra and the Leo Baxter Orchestra. Art Davis, his younger brother, also worked for Leo Baxter. Davis's work with bands led him to discover and develop his ability as a scat singer. By 1933 was living in New York City. He formed his own trio and recorded several songs with them. From the mid 1930s, he worked with

Fred Waring Fredrick Malcolm Waring Sr. (June 9, 1900 – July 29, 1984) was an American musician, bandleader, and radio and television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing". He was also ...

as a musician and vocalist, and his success during this time led him to Hollywood. He appeared in his first feature-length film, ''

Varsity Show The Varsity Show is one of the oldest traditions at Columbia University and its oldest performing arts presentation. Founded in 1894 as a fundraiser for the university's fledgling athletic teams, the Varsity Show now draws together the entire Col ...

'', in 1937 and appeared the same year in the film ''

Hollywood Hotel The Hollywood Hotel was a famous hotel, society venue of early Hollywood, and landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible fr ...

'', where he introduced the Johnny Mercer song "

Hooray for Hollywood "Hooray for Hollywood" is a popular song first featured in the 1937 movie ''Hollywood Hotel'', and which has since become (together with " That's Entertainment" and " There's No Business like Show Business") the staple soundtrack element of any Ac ...

". His lively rendition became popular and became closely associated with the film industry. He appeared in fifteen films, including '' Campus Cinderella'' (1938), ''

Cowboy from Brooklyn ''Cowboy from Brooklyn'' is a 1938 American Western musical romantic comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Earl Baldwin. It stars Dick Powell, Pat O'Brien and Priscilla Lane. The film was based on the 1937 Broadway play ''Howdy S ...

'' (1938), ''

Brother Rat ''Brother Rat'' is a 1938 American comedy drama film about cadets at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, directed by William Keighley, and starring Ronald Reagan, Priscilla Lane, Eddie Albert (in his film debut), Jane Wyman, and ...

'' (1938), ''

Mr. Chump ''Mr. Chump'' is a 1938 American Musical film, musical comedy film directed by William Clemens (film director), William Clemens and written by George Bricker. The film stars Johnnie Davis, Lola Lane (actress/singer), Lola Lane, Penny Singleton, Do ...

'' (1938), '' A Child Is Born'' (1939) and ''

Sarong Girl ''Sarong Girl'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Arthur Dreifuss and written by Charles R. Marion, Arthur Hoerl and Tim Ryan. The film stars Ann Corio, Tim Ryan, Irene Ryan, Mantan Moreland, William Henry, Damian O'Flynn and Johnnie ...

'' (1943). Finally, in the documentary film " Jazz Ball" (1956), which collects 20 appearances by jazz stars of the '30s and '40s, Davis is featured singing

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

's hit song "

Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" is an American patriotic song by Frank Loesser, published as sheet music in 1942 by Famous Music Corp. The song was a response to the attack on Pearl Harbor that marked United States involvement in World ...

" (1942). Davis's work on radio included being a vocalist on ''Nitwit Court''. Davis continued to work in the music industry throughout the 1940s and 1950s and spent several years in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, where he was a popular television performer. Davis married Martha Lee Garver on April 2, 1934. He eventually settled in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and died in Pecos from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

during a hunting trip.

References

External links

*
"Solid" - Johnny "Scat" Davis, biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Johnnie 1910 births 1983 deaths American male film actors 20th-century American male actors People from Brazil, Indiana 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century trumpeters American male trumpeters Singers from Los Angeles Musicians from Indiana Male actors from Indiana Actors from Los Angeles People from Texas