One of the great Dixieland trumpeters, Wild Bill Davison had a colorful and emotional style that ranged from sarcasm to sentimentality with plenty of growls and shakes. His unexpected placement of high notes was a highlight of his solos and his strong personality put him far ahead of the competition. In the 1920s, he played with the Ohio Lucky Seven, the Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra (with whom he made his recording debut), the Seattle Harmony Kings, and Benny Meroff. After he was involved in a fatal car accident that ended the life of Frankie Teschemacher in 1932 (his auto was blindsided by a taxi), Davison spent the remainder of the 1930s in exile in Milwaukee. By 1941, he was in New York and in 1943 made some brilliant recordings for Commodore (including a classic version of "That's a Plenty") that solidified his reputation. After a period in the Army, Davison became a fixture with Eddie Condon's bands starting in 1945, playing nightly at Condon's. In the 1950s, he was quite effective on a pair of albums with string orchestras, but most of his career was spent fronting Dixieland bands either as a leader or with Condon. Wild Bill toured Europe often from the 1960s, recorded constantly, had a colorful life filled with remarkable episodes, and was active up until his death. A very detailed 1996 biography (The Wildest One by Hal Willard) has many hilarious anecdotes and shows just how unique a life Wild Bill Davison had.
CD 1
01. At The Jazz Band Ball (3:01)
02. That's A Plenty (4:18)
03. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home (2:57)
04. Panama (4:25)
05. Original Dixieland One Step (3:12)
06. Muskrat Ramble (3:14)
07. Riverboat Shuffle (2:53)
08. Clarinet Marmalade (2:59)
09. Squeeze Me (Take One And Two) (2:45)
10. Royal Garden Blues (Take Five) (2:27)
11. That Da da Strain (Take One) (2:26)
12. That Da Da Strain (Take Two) (2:25)
13. Carolina In The Morning (Take One) (4:59)
14. Carolina In The Morning (Take Two) (5:06)
15. Weary Blues (7:21)
CD 2
01. Weary Blues (3 False Starts And Complete Take) (6:42)
02. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You (2:41)
03. A Monday Вate (2:52)
04. Jazz Ьe Blues (3:23)
05. Little Girl (2:43)
06. Squeeze Me (2:32)
07. Sensation Rag (2:45)
08. I'm Сonfessin' That I Love You (3:30)
09. Big Butter And Egg Man (3:08)
10. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate (3:16)
11. Who's Sorry Now? (2:56)
12. Someday Sweetheart (2:55)
13. On The Alamo (2:51)
14. Wrap You Troubles In Dreams (3:00)
15. Wabash Blues (2:56)
16. I'm Coming Virginia (2:36)
17. Wabash Blues (2:40)
CD 3
01. Sensation (3:27)
02. Hotter Than That (3:10)
03. Tishomingo Blues (2:51)
04. Big Butter And Egg Man (3:16)
05. Eccentric (2:25)
06. It's Right Here For You (4:27)
07. None Of My Jelly Roll (3:31)
08. Avalon (2:32)
09. Swinging Down The Lane (3:00)
10. Clarinet Marmalade (4:17)
11. As Long As I Live (3:44)
12. St. Louis Blues (3:10)
13. Shim-E-Sha-Wabble (3:10)
14. Trombone Preachin' Blues (3:45)
15. Dardanella (2:46)
16. Skelecton Jangle (3:17)
CD 4
01. Dippermouth Blues (3:20)
02. Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now (2:26)
03. That Da Da Strain (2:55)
04. Black And Blue (3:36)
05. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans (2:32)
06. I Want To Be Happy (4:25)
07. Medley: I Got It Bad • September Song • When Your Lover Has Gone (4:23)
08. Singin' The Blues (3:12)
09. Blue And Broken Hearted (4:41)
10. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home (4:30)
11. The Blues; Ole Miss (3:35)
12. Fidgety Feet (4:45)
13. Memphis Blues (4:45)
14. Mandy, Make Up Your Mind (5:29)
15. At The Jazz Band Ball (4:42)
