Blues guitarist Eric "Guitar" Davis was shot to death yesterday in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago. According to the Sun Times, Chicago police found the 41-year-old son of drumming great Bobby "Top Hat" Davis shot multiple times behind the wheel of a car around 5:20 a.m. Davis was pronounced dead on the scene.
According to the article, Davis had been hanging out at Kingston Mines blues bar in Lincoln Park on Wednesday night, hours before the shooting.
Chicago blues legend Linsey Alexander told the Sun Times, "The last time I did open mic he was there with his kids. He had a good personality. He didn't try to harm nobody."
Davis played lead guitar and vocals in the band Eric Davis and the Troublemakers. They had recently inked a deal with Delmark Records and were slated for a three-show run at the Beale on Broadway in St. Louis after Christmas, including a New Year's Eve gig, as well as a show in Clinton, Illinois at Sophie's later this month.
"He put a lot of energy into his shows," Sophie's manager Rudy Barrera said. "He was very personable when you talked to him. A lot of musicians have a little ego, but this guy was just good. He was fun and involved the crowd. He would bring a lot of people on stage ... He had a lot of energy and carried the whole place on his shoulder."
According to Billboard, Davis was a fixture of the local blues circuit, having learned from his father who played with legends including Ray Charles and Muddy Waters. "At the age of five," Davis' blog notes, "Eric began to follow in his Dad's footsteps as a drummer. By the age of ten, young Eric Davis could be found playing drums in Chicago's hottest blues clubs, such as the Legendary Checkerboard Lounge and Theresa's lounge behind legendary greats such as The late Jr. Wells, Lefty Dizz, Buddy Guy, BB King, B.B. Odom, Tyrone Davis and many more."
The investigation is still ongoing, and no arrests have been made. We will updatd you as more information becomes available. Please leave your condolences and remembrances in the comments section below.
