Some specialist soul sites are reporting the death “earlier this week” of US singer, JESSE DAVIS. Details are sketchy but it seems that the San Diego-based Davis had been suffering with Alzheimer’s.
Davis was essentially a lounge and night club singer, cutting his records in Los Angeles. For a time he was popular in Las Vegas and Palm Springs – a certain Frank Sinatra recommend him to various of his contacts there amongst the casino and bar owners! Thus, Jesse’s s CV is lengthy with his first known waxings dating from the mid-sixties. Cuts like ‘There’s Room For Me’ and ‘So Full Of Love’ were issued on his own Jaboth label. They meant nothing on release but, as you can guess, they later became popular on the UK and European rare and Northern soul scene. His biggest “Northern tune” though was 1967’s ‘Gonna Hang On In There Girl’ released on Herb Newman’s Era Records. The song was released twice with two different B sides – one of which ‘Night Blooming Jasmine’ became popular on the jazz dance/mod scene.
Jesse also recorded for Essence (another self-owned label) – records cut mainly to be sold at his gigs. Amongst his songs from that era, his ‘Hollywood Gypsie’ became a modern soul favourite. Oddly, maybe, Jesse was also very popular in Australia and spent lengthy periods working there. He also worked as a film and TV actor.
In 2009 Jesse Davis came to the UK to appear at the 6TS Rare Soul weekender in Cleethorpes. On the back of the gig, Ace/Kent reissued his ‘Gonna Hang On In There Girl’ on 7”, knowing that original Era copies were selling for well over £1,000!
