Born in Goodman, Mississippi, Davis was raised in Chicago. He graduated from DuSable High School before studying at the Chicago School of Music. Davis also studied privately with John Hauser. During the 1950s, he played with Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Sun Ra and Dinah Washington. Davis also performed and recorded with Kenny Dorham, with whom he associated musically for many years.
During the 1960s, he performed and recorded with Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison, Illinois Jacquet, Freddie Hubbard, Johnny Griffin, Steve Lacy and Ahmad Jamal, also working with Blue Mitchell, Erskine Hawkins, John Coltrane and Clifford Jordan. In 1964, Davis topped Downbeat Magazine's International Jazz Critics Poll for baritone saxophone. He performed in the musical The Philosophy of The Spiritual – A Masque of the Black with Willie Jones, produced by Nadi Qamar. Davis taught at PS 179 in Brooklyn and was musical director of the Turntable, a nightclub owned by Lloyd Price.
During the 1970s, Davis was a member of the cooperative Artistry in Music with Hank Mobley, Cedar Walton, Sam Jones and Billy Higgins. He co-led, composed and arranged for the Baritone Saxophone Retinue, a six-baritone-saxophone group. Davis toured Europe, playing major jazz festivals and concerts with the Clark Terry Orchestra, and toured the United States with Duke Ellington’s Orchestra under the direction of Mercer Ellington. As musical director of the Home of the Id nightclub, he presented Gene Ammons, Randy Weston and Max Roach. As producer of the Monday Night Boat Ride Up The Hudson, Davis presented Art Blakey, George Benson and Etta Jones. He appeared on television with Archie Shepp, Lucky Thompson, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.
During the 1980s, Davis performed and recorded with the Philly Joe Jones Quartet, Dameronia and Abdullah Ibrahim’s Ekaya in the U.S., Europe and Africa and toured Europe with Savoy Seven Plus 1: A Salute to Benny Goodman. With his own quartet he performed in Rome, at the Bologna Jazz Festival, the Jazz in Sardinia Festival and the La Spezia Festival. Davis was musical director of the Syncopation nightclub and performed in the film, The Man with Perfect Timing, with Abdullah Ibrahim. In 1984, he was named a BMI Jazz Pioneer.
During the 1990s, Davis was the musical librarian for Spike Lee's Mo Better Blues.[citation needed] He performed at the Jamaica Jazz Festival with Dizzy Reece, returning to perform with Roy Burrowes. Davis played in the Apollo Theater Hall of Fame Band with Ray Charles, Joe Williams and Nancy Wilson. He toured the Netherlands in a salute to the music of Kenny Dorham, and was a guest artist at the 12th annual North Carolina Jazz Festival at Duke University. A featured soloist with the Barry Harris Jazz Ensemble, Davis performs in clubs with the Barry Harris-Charles Davis Quartet. He recorded and toured Europe and Japan with the Clifford Jordan Big Band. Davis played tenor saxophonist and arranged for Larry Ridley's Jazz Legacy Ensemble, which appeared at the Senegal Jazz Festival, performed concerts and conducted clinics, seminars and master classes. The ensemble also appeared in a concert series at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. He was a featured artist at the Amman Jazz Festival, produced by the American Embassy. Davis was also a featured artist in clubs and concerts in Paris, Toulouse and Hamburg. He appeared at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the original production of Eduardo Machado's Stevie Wants to Play the Blues], directed by Jim Simpson. Davis played in the Three Baritone Saxophone Band with Ronnie Cuber and Gary Smulyan (touring Italy) and appeared at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, the 1998 JVC Jazz & Image Festival at Villa Celimontana in Rome and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. The saxophonist was a featured soloist at the 1998 Chicago Jazz Festival. In June 1999, Davis performed with Aaron Bell and the Duke Ellington Tribute Orchestra at the Jackie Robinson Afternoon of Jazz Festival in Norwalk, Connecticut. He was a featured artist at the 1999 Jazz & Image Festival.
Since 2000, Davis had been a featured artist at the Blue Note in Beirut, a number of other clubs in Italy and Spain and at the 2000 Jazz & Image Festival. With his quartet, he played on the M.S. Dynasty, a Carnival Cruise Lines ship. Davis produced and performed in the Tribute to Stanley Turrentine concert in Philadelphia. In August 2001, he performed for President Bill Clinton at the Harlem Welcomes Clinton celebration. The Barry Harris-Charles Davis Quintet appeared several times at Sweet Basil in New York City and continues to perform together, including yearly appearances at Birdland. In August 2004, they performed for the 50th Anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival. Davis was a featured artist at the 14th annual Jazz Festival in Badajoz, Spain, and was a member of the Walter Booker Quintet. He performed with his quartet at New York's Rubin Museum of Art and performed in the Netherlands, Denmark and Israel. In addition to performing and recording with guitarist Roni Ben-Hur and the El Mollenium Band (featuring the music of Elmo Hope), in 2009 Davis toured Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy with the Charles Davis All-stars: A Tribute to Kenny Dorham; the following year, the quintet performed in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. In addition to his own quartet, featuring Tardo Hammer (piano), Lee Hudson (bass) and Jimmy Wormworth (drums), the saxophonist performs with the Spirit of Life Ensemble in the U.S. and Europe.
Davis was a private saxophone instructor for students from The New School and a teacher at the Lucy Moses School. For over 25 years, he has been an instructor at the Jazzmobile Workshops. Davis has recorded eight albums, and is featured on over 100 recordings. Some of his CDs as a leader include Blue Gardenia, with Cedar Walton on piano, Peter Washington on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums, on Reade Street Records; Land of Dreams, with Tardo Hammer, Lee Hudson and Jimmy Wormworth, released in 2007 on Smalls Records, and Our Man in Copenhagen (the music of Bent Jaedig, released in October 2008 on Fresh Sound Records, with Sam Yahel, Ben Street, and Kresten Osgood. The Charles Davis Allstars: A Tribute to Kenny Dorham (with Tom Kirkpatrick on trumpet, Claus Raible on piano, Giorgos Antoniou on bass and Bernd Reiter on drums), recorded live at the Bird's Eye in Basel, Switzerland, was released in 2010.
Discography
As leader
1974: Ingia! (Strata-East Records, with Ronnie Mathews, Louis Hayes, David Williams, Andrew "Tex" Allen, Gerald Hayes, Louis Davis) recorded at Minot Sound in White Plains, NY Engineered and Co-Produced by John Battiloro
1979: Dedicated to Tadd (West 54 Records)[2]
1982: Super 80 (Nilva Records) with Walter Booker, Gene Adler, Michael Carvin
1990: Reflections (Red Records) with Barry Harris, Peter Washington, Ben Riley
2003: Blue Gardenia(Reade Street Records) with Cedar Walton, Peter Washington, Joe Farnsworth
2007: Land of Dreams (Smalls Records)
2014: For the Love of Lori (Reade Street Records) with Rick Germanson, Neal Smith, Joe Magnarelli, Steve Davis and David Williams.
As sideman
Album Label Artist
Live in New York Reservoir Music
Barry Harris
Anna’s Dance Reservoir Music
Roni Ben-Hur
Golden Boy Colpix
Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers
Down Here Below Verve Records
Jeffery Smith
Bert’s Blues Consolidated Artists CAP
Nancie Banks Orchestra
Ways of Peace Consolidated Artists CAP
Nancie Banks Orchestra
Down Through The Years Milestone Records
Clifford Jordan
Oasis Muse Records
Shirley Scott
The Hearinga Suite Black Saint Records
Muhal Richard Abrams
Ekaya Ekapa
Abdullah Ibrahim
Water from an Ancient Well Ekapa
Abdullah Ibrahim
Saxotic Stomp Muse Records
Ricky Ford
Filet de Sole Jazz Unite Records
Philly Joe Jones
To Tadd With Love Uptown Records
Philly Joe Jones
Stop, Look and Listen Uptown Records
Philly Joe Jones
Manhattan Project Beehive
Dizzy Reece
Cedar Walton Plays Delos
Cedar Walton
Mobius RCA
Cedar Walton
Breakthrough! Buddah Records
Cedar Walton/Hank Mobley
Breath of Life Muse Records
Louis Hayes
Numatik Swing Band JCOA
Roswell Rudd & the Jazz Composer's Orchestra
Haitian Bells Alex Pascal
Live at Buddy’s Place Vanguard
Clark Terry
Live at the Wichita Jazz Festival Vanguard
Clark Terry
Illumination! Impulse! Records
Elvin Jones/Jimmy Garrison
And Then Again Atlantic Records
Elvin Jones
Jazz Contemporary Time
Kenny Dorham
The Arrival of Kenny Dorham Xanadu Records
Kenny Dorham
Doin' the Thang! Prestige Records
Ronnie Mathews
Dinah Sings Fats Waller Emarcy
Dinah Washington
Dinah Sings Bessie Smith Emarcy
Dinah Washington
What a Diff'rence a Day Makes! Mercury Records
Dinah Washington
Doodlin’ Emarcy
Eddie Chamblee
The Straight Horn of Steve Lacy Candid Records
Steve Lacy
Jamaica Farewell Argo Records
Ahmad Jamal
J.G. Big Band Riverside Records
Johnny Griffin
Banded in Boston Epic
Illinois Jacquet
Spiritsville Jazzland
Julian Priester
Sweet Love, Bitter (soundtrack) Impulse
Mal Waldron
The Soul Society Riverside
Sam Jones
The Body & the Soul Impulse
Freddie Hubbard
Communications JCOAC
Jazz Composers Orchestra
Reggae au Go Go Roy Burrowes
For Losers Impulse!
Archie Shepp
Kwanza Impulse! Archie Shepp
The Way Ahead Impulse!
Archie Shepp
Estimated Time of Arrival Roulette Records
Bobby Watson
Sound Sun Pleasure!! Sun Ra
Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra Visits Planet Earth Sun Ra
Jazz in Silhouette Sun Ra
Super-Sonic Jazz Sun Ra
Interstellar Low Ways Sun Ra
New York City R&B Cecil Taylor
Jumpin' Punkins Cecil Taylor
Impact Charles Tolliver
AR
Charles Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I dreamed I held you in my arms
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
And I hung my head and I cried
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you
I'll always love you and make you happy
If you will only say the same
But if you leave me to love another
You'll regret it all some day
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
You told me once, dear, you really loved me
And no one else could come between
But now you've left me and love another
You have shattered all my dreams
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
Charles Davis's song "AR" is a rendition of the classic folk song, "You Are My Sunshine." The song is an emotional and heart-wrenching expression of love and loss. Davis's version begins with a dream sequence, where he dreams of holding his lover in his arms, only to wake up and realize it was all a dream. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, where Davis pleads with his lover not to leave him.
The lyrics talk about the unconditional love Davis has for his partner and how they are his sunshine, the only thing that makes him happy when skies are grey. He begs them not to take his sunshine away and promises to always love and make them happy. However, he also warns them that if they leave him for someone else, they will regret it someday.
The song has a haunting quality to it, as Davis's vocals are raw and emotional, conveying the pain and heartache of lost love. The repetition of the chorus, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine," reinforces the importance of the relationship to Davis and the devastation he would feel if he were to lose it.
Overall, "AR" is a beautiful and melancholic interpretation of a beloved folk song, expressing the universal experience of love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping
I had a dream of holding you in my arms while I was fast asleep
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
Unfortunately, the dream was not real and I was disappointed to find myself alone when I woke up
And I hung my head and I cried
The realization that the dream was over made me sad and I couldn't stop tears from coming out of my eyes
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You are the most important thing in my life, the only thing that can brighten up my day
You make me happy when skies are grey
Being with you brings joy and happiness, even on a dull and gloomy day
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you
I love you more than words can express, and it's hard for me to explain how deep my love for you is
Please don't take my sunshine away
I fear losing you and losing the happiness you bring to my life
I'll always love you and make you happy
I promise to cherish you and to do everything in my power to keep you content and joyful
If you will only say the same
As long as you reciprocate my feelings and assure me of your love, I'll keep loving you and making you happy
But if you leave me to love another
If you abandon me and choose to love someone else, my heart will break and you'll regret losing me
You'll regret it all some day
One day, you'll feel remorseful for breaking my heart and leaving me
You told me once, dear, you really loved me
You expressed your love for me in the past, and I believed you with all my heart
And no one else could come between
You assured me that no one else could ever interfere or take your place in your love for me
But now you've left me and love another
But now you've betrayed me and fallen for someone else, causing me immense pain and heartbreak
You have shattered all my dreams
Your actions have destroyed all my hopes and dreams of a happy future with you
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jimmie Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind