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DAVENPORT, Cow Cow

(b Charles Davenport, 26 April 1895, Anniston AL; d 2 December 1955, Cleveland OH) Pianist, singer, songwriter, and pioneer of the boogie-woogie style. Expelled from a theological school for playing ragtime, he joined a carnival troupe c.1914, worked in vaudeville, with singers Dora Carr, Ivy Smith etc, and recorded for seven different labels. He was a talent scout for Vocalion in the mid-1920s; spent some time in prison after a disastrous tour; tried operating a music shop, then a cafe c.1935. He had a stroke in 1938 that affected his playing, but recovered.

He was discovered by Art Hodes working as a washroom attendant on 52nd Street in New York City; Hodes featured him on radio broadcasts, and he worked in clubs in Nashville and Cleveland. He claimed to have written or co-written quite a few songs; later with Hodes' help he received some recognition from ASCAP. His best-known tune was 'Cow Cow Blues', recorded in July 1928 in Chicago, on which the 1953 Ray Charles hit 'Mess Around' is said to be based. Jet magazine on 29 April 1954 reported that

Charles (Cow Cow) Davenport, 59, composer of Cow Cow Boogie, reclaimed and regained copyrights on songs which were "stolen" from him 28 years ago. Original copyrights on the songs which included Wish You Were Dead and Cow Cow Blues, had expired and were public property until Davenport reclaimed them.

In fact, although he recorded it once on an acetate, perhaps hoping to get some credit since some would have associated it with his name, the big 1942 hit 'Cow-Cow Boogie' (by Freddie Slack with Ella Mae Morse) had nothing to do with Davenport. (For the story of that song, go here.) There is no mention of Charles Davenport on either the ASCAP or BMI websites as a writer, until one finds a song called 'Mama Don't Allow It', which is credited to Sammy Cahn and Charles Davenport, unless we are looking at two different songs with the same name; there is a confusing number of songs beginning 'Mama Don't Allow' and these websites do not offer much information. Other sources credit Davenport with a song called 'Mama Don't Allow No Easy Riders Here'; one of these sources also credits him with 'I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You', which is seriously to be doubted.