Native American guitarist Jesse Ed Davis was the “go-to” guy for a remarkable group of musicians. Starting in the mid-‘Sixties, he toured with Conway Twitty, then became a key part of Taj Mahal’s band, playing on several albums and tours including an appearance on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, and, perhaps most famously, accompanied George Harrison during the Concert for Bangla Desh, followed by work on various solo albums by John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Gene Clark, Leonard Cohen, and Jackson Browne (that’s Jesse taking the solo on his 1972 breakout hit “Doctor My Eyes”).
All this activity caught the eye of ATCO Records, who released his debut LP Jesse Davis in 1971 featuring Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Gram Parsons, Merry Clayton, Ben Sidran, John Simon (producer of The Band), Alan White (of Yes), and many others including Delaney Bramlett behind the mixing desk. A year later, Atco released Ululu containing some of the same all-stars, plus Duck Dunn, Jim Keltner, and Dr. John – and a version of George Harrison’s “Sue Me, Sue You Blues” before even George recorded it.
Of late, there’s been something of a Jesse Ed Davis revival. Besides our releases, he was a major figure in the documentary Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World…and now this fall comes a full-fledged biography, Washita Love Child: The Life and Times of Jesse Ed Davis, by Dr. Douglas Miller. To honor the man and the occasion of the book’s release (and to slake guitar-heads the world over thirsting for more tasty Jesse Ed licks), we at Real Gone Music are thrilled to announce the release of Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day: The Unissued Atco Recordings 1970-1971, a double-LP collection consisting of, as the title says, all unreleased recordings taken from Jesse’s sessions for his two Atco solo records. Along the way you’ll find completely unreleased songs (“Slinky Jam”), unexpected covers of “Ain’t No Beatle,” “Kansas City,” and “Tracks of My Tears,” unissued instrumentals (including a version of Dylan’s “Love Minus Zero/No Limit”), and an entire side featuring alternate versions of Jesse’s masterpiece, “Washita Love Child.” Remastered by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision, and featuring notes by Dr. Miller festooned by photos contributed by Jesse’s son William “Billy” Noriega, Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day: The Unissued Atco Recordings 1970-1971 represents a major, major archival find from one of rock’s most intriguing characters, out on cobalt “blue jean” vinyl limited to 1500 copies.