Future Of The Blues Snuffed Out
“Eric ‘Guitar’ Davis, son of drummer Bobby ‘Top Hat’ Davis, was shot and killed near his Chicago home yesterday, police have confirmed,” The Blues Magazine reports.
“The 41-year-old, who was given his first guitar lesson by Buddy Guy, was found dead in his car with bullet wounds in his neck and torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6 am..
“Davis and his band The Troublemakers has recently signed a deal with Delmark Records. Boss Bob Koester says: ‘He was next in line for the blues before these guys shot him.'”
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Tony Mangiullo, owner of Rosa’s Lounge, where Davis often played, said the world has lost “the future of the blues.”
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“Eric was a rising star on the Chicago blues scene who had a terrific band with horn section, a blazing guitar style and soulful vocals,” Tom Marker of WXRT’s Blues Breakers writes.
“He had a kind of bad-ass look on stage, but off stage his many friends remember him as a family man with a big smile. In a genre of music where many of the biggest names are veteran players who have been around for awhile, Eric, at age 41, was considered a young player who could help lead Chicago Blues to a bright and exciting future.”
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Eric Davis Memorial Fund.
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Benefit concert.
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Facebook page.
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At Rosa’s, December 2011:
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At Rosa’s, December 2011.
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At The Big Muddy Blues Festival in St. Louis, 2010:
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Comments welcome.
Posted on December 24, 2013