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Jackson "Jackie" Davis was born on December 13, 1920, in Jacksonville, Florida. At a very young age, Davis learned to play piano, and by the age of 8, he was playing with a local dance band. He attended Florida A&M College (now University), graduating in 1943 with a bachelor's degree in music. After serving in the Army, Davis worked as a piano accompanist for legendary jazz artists such as Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Billy Daniels.
Later becoming attracted to playing the organ, he bought his first Hammond electric organ in 1951. As a result, Davis became world renowned as the first musician to popularize jazz on the Hammond organ. By the mid-1950's, he began leading his own sessions, and in 1956, he released his first album 'Hi-Fi Hammond' on Capitol Records. Davis spent 5 years recording albums for Capitol before moving over to Warner Brothers Records in 1961, releasing his first album for the label, 'Easy Does It'.
In 1978, Davis was hired to accompany Ella Fitzgerald on her album 'Lady Time'. 1980 saw Jackie return to the studio to record his self-titled album for EMI Records, as well as making an appearance as Smoke Porterhouse in the classic comedy film 'Caddyshack' (1980). In his later years, he performed at various clubs, jazz festivals and restaurants throughout the country. Davis suffered financially and physically after the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in Florida in 1992. His home was completely destroyed in the storm, the experience contributing to a series of heart attacks and strokes. By 1997, he recovered enough to start performing again, but not long after, his health started to decline, and in November of 1999, Jackie Davis died a month before his 79th birthday, due to complications from a stroke while in a nursing home in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.
