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Wild Bill Davison

William Edward Davison (January 5, 1906 – November 14, 1989), nicknamed "Wild Bill", was an American jazz cornetist. He emerged in the 1920s through his work playing alongside Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher in a cover band where they played the music of Louis Armstrong, but he did not achieve wider recognition until the 1940s. He is best remembered for his association with bandleader Eddie Condon, with whom he worked and recorded from the mid-1940s until Condon's last concert at the New School for Social Research in New York in April 1972 (Chiaroscuro Records, CRD 110).

His nickname of "Wild Bill" reflected a reputation for heavy drinking and womanizing in his younger years.

Birth and Death Data: Born Defiance (city in and the county seat of Defiance County, Ohio, United States), Died November 14, 1989 (Santa Barbara (city in and county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1924 - 1950

Roles Represented in DAHR: cornet, trumpet

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 44 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor E0VB-4056 10-in. 4/6/1950 At the jazz band ball Chicago Jazz ; Gene Krupa ; Bobby Soots Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Victor E0VB-4057 10-in. 4/6/1950 I want gold in my pocket (when there's silver in my hair) Chicago Jazz ; Gene Krupa ; Bobby Soots Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Victor E0VB-4136 10-in. 4/6/1950 Bonaparte's retreat Chicago Jazz ; Gene Krupa ; Bobby Soots Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Victor E0VB-4137 10-in. 4/6/1950 My Scandinavian baby Chicago Jazz ; Gene Krupa ; Bobby Soots Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Victor E0VB-5551 10-in. 9/11/1950 Walking with the blues Chicago Jazz ; Gene Krupa ; Bobby Soots Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Victor E0VB-5553 10-in. 9/11/1950 I'm forever blowing bubbles Chicago Jazz ; Gene Krupa Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
OKeh 8631 10-in. 4/10/1924 Walking, talking dolly Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra of Cincinnati Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
OKeh 8632 10-in. 4/10/1924 From one till two (I always dream of you) Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra of Cincinnati Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
OKeh 8633 10-in. 4/10/1924 Blue evening blues Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra of Cincinnati Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
OKeh 8634 10-in. 4/10/1924 Horsey! Keep your tail up (Keep the sun out of my eyes) Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra of Cincinnati Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet instrumentalist, trumpet  
Gennett 12156 10-in. 2/16/1925 Will you remember me? Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra of Cincinnati Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Gennett 12157 10-in. 2/16/1925 Because they all love you Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra of Cincinnati Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Gennett 12230 10-in. 4/30/1925 Mandy, make up your mind Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Gennett 12231 10-in. 4/30/1925 Steppin' in society Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, trumpet  
Gennett 12282 10-in. 7/16/1925 Sloppy Sue Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra of Cincinnati Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Gennett 12283 10-in. 7/16/1925 Pale moon Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Gennett 12373 10-in. 10/14/1925 In the purple twilight Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Gennett 12374 10-in. 10/14/1925 You are just a vision Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Gennett 12375 10-in. 10/14/1925 Sloppy Sue Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, trumpet  
Decca 73279 1/16/1946 After you've gone Bing Crosby instrumentalist, cornet  
Decca 73280 1/16/1946 Personality Bing Crosby instrumentalist, cornet  
Decca 73278 1/16/1946 Blue (and broken hearted) Bing Crosby instrumentalist, cornet  
Decca 73308 1/25/1946 Deep delta blues Denver Darling ; Wild Bill Davison ; The Range Rider Singers instrumentalist, cornet  
Decca 73309 1/25/1946 When I get to where I'm goin' Denver Darling ; Wild Bill Davison ; The Range Rider Singers instrumentalist, cornet  
Decca 73310 1/25/1946 Silver dew on the blue grass Denver Darling ; Wild Bill Davison ; The Range Rider Singers instrumentalist, cornet  
(Results 1-25 of 44 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Davison, Wild Bill," accessed January 4, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102402.

Davison, Wild Bill. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102402.

"Davison, Wild Bill." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 4 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102402

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