DANNY DAVIS
(George Nowlan)
BORN: APRIL 29, 1935, DORCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
DIED: JUNE 12, 2008, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
It is with regrets that I have to report the death of Danny Davis. Danny had a ready smile and I will miss bumping into him in the
pharmacy.
Danny Davis proved that there was room for brass instruments within Country music, which is primarily a string instrument style of
music. Since the advent of the Nashville Brass, several Country performers have used horns, most notably Merle Haggard.
Young George Nowlan knew that he wanted to be a horn man when he was still in high school. Coming from an Irish-American
background with a mother who was an opera coach, he was certain to be taught properly. He bought his first instrument by working
as a delivery boy to a fruiterer in Boston. He attended the New England Conservatory of Music.
By the time he was 14, he was a soloist with the Massachusetts All State Symphony Orchestra. Then in 1940, at the tender age of
15, he was offered a gig with the legendary Jazz drummer Gene Krupa, which he willingly accepted. He went on to play with some of
the greats of Jazz and Swing including Art Mooney, Bobby Byrne, Bob Crosby, Hal McIntyre and Freddy Martin. Danny started
working with Vincent Lopez, who at the time was bandleader at the Astor Hotel in New York, a position he would hold for many
years. In addition, Danny worked with Blue Barron and Sammy Kaye. While with Freddy Martin, Danny recorded the vocal The
Object of My Affection.
In 1958, he became record producer with Joy and MGM Records. While at MGM, he produced Connie Francis on her successes,
including six No. l's. He also worked with Herman’s Hermits and Johnny Tillotson. He moved over to RCA in New York and produced
Lana Cantrell and Nina Simone. On a trip to Nashville, Danny met Fred Rose and Chet Atkins, and it was Chet who suggested that
Danny join him as his production assistant with the title of Executive A & R Producer in Nashville. This Danny did in 1965 and for
some years he worked with many of the artists on the label.
Toward the end of the 60's. Danny came to Chet with the idea of adding brass to Country music. Chet approved Danny's setting up
a band with which to experiment. The first album by the Nashville Brass. The Nashville Brass Featuring Danny Davis Play Nashville
Sounds, was released in 1968 and caused more than a little stir in Country music circles. However, the second album, More
Nashville Sounds in 1969, really got people talking.
It resulted in NARAS splitting up the "Best Country Performance, Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental" Grammy category. The new
category, "Best Country Instrumental Performance," was awarded to the Nashville Brass that year. In every year during the period
1969-1974, the CMA voted them "Instrumental Group or Band of the Year." Billboard named them "Best Instrumental Group" in their
Annual Country Music Awards and Cash Box's nationwide DJ Poll chose them as their "Most Programmed Band" and "Top and
Coming Band." They were named "Best Country Instrumental Group" by Record World. In 1971, the three trades were in total
agreement in making them "Best Instrumental Group."
The Nashville Brass continued to put out a consistent and constant flow of albums. In 1970, they teamed up with Hank Locklin and
produced an album and two medium-sized hit singles, Please Help Me I'm Falling and Flying South. In between these two singles,
the Nashville Brass had charted with their version of the Country classic Wabash Cannon Ball. They rounded off 1970 with another
instrumental, Columbus Stockade Blues.
During the 70's, seven of their albums were available in Quadraphonic sound: Travelin' and Caribbean Cruise (1973), Bluegrass
Country and Latest & Greatest (1974), Dream Country and Country Gold (1975) and Texas (1976).
During 1977, Danny got together with Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer for the album Chet, Floyd and Danny. Willie Nelson teamed up
with Danny and the boys in 1980 and they released an excellent album and two successful singles. Night Life went Top 20 and
Funny How Time Slips Away just missed the Top 40.
By the time of their next single success, Danny had left the heady heights of RCA and
appeared on his own Wartrace label. I Dropped Your Name just scraped into the Country charts and then two years later, with Dona
Mason, they charted with Green Eyes (Cryin' Those Blue Tears) peaking in the Top 70; however, singles were never that important
to the Nashville Brass. After all, with all the success they have had with their albums for years and their appearances in Las Vegas,
Branson and on network TV, they never needed singles. Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass became a national icon that
prompted Buck Owens to form the Bakersfield Brass and has also influenced the highly successful Swing Shift Band of Ray
Pennington and Buddy Emmons.
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