Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

With his cutting, throaty tone and hard-swinging style, tenor saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis straddled the big-band, bebop, R&B, and soul-jazz eras. Known as one of the great jazz pugilists ably holding his own at jam sessions and on record, it was his effusive approach to jazz and blues that he brought to new heights with Hammond B-3 organist Shirley Scott. Together they released a string of albums in the late '50s including In the Kitchen, Cookbook, Vol. 1 and Jaws that were the paradigm of the soul-jazz organ group sound. Davis was also a vital member of the Count Basie group, recording from the '50s into the early '70s and appearing on numerous albums. He also led hard-charging dates with saxophonists Sonny Stitt and Johnny Griffin and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, and was a busy soloist right up until his passing in 1986.