Eddy Davis, banjo virtuoso and bandleader, died earlier this month due to complications from coronavirus. He was 79 years old.
Davis is best known as a member of The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, with which Woody Allen has played clarinet for nearly 35 years. Allen famously missed several Oscar ceremonies because they were held on Monday nights, conflicting with his weekly gigs at Michael’s Pub and later Café Carlyle. Davis appeared in several of Allen’s films, either on the soundtrack or in a cameo role.
The YouTube clip below was posted a little more than a month ago and shows Davis in fine spirits. He even responded to fans in the comments, writing “Hey Bill! Thanks for always looking at this stuff!” and “Good to hear from you, Dmitry” and “Thanks old buddy.”
In a morbid twist, one commenter wrote the following: “Hope you are doing well with this Corona Virus going around.”
Unfortunately, New York was pretty much the worst place for a man just shy of his 80th birthday.
When I first saw the post, I was going to sarcastically write “THE Eddy Davis?” However, given his connection to Woody Allen, I understand why you would recognize him as a notable loss due to Coronavirus.
😢