COW COW DAVENPORT

'Charles Edward "Cow Cow" Davenport' (April 23, 1894 – December 3, 1955) was an American boogie woogie piano player. He also played the organ and sang.
He was born in Anniston, Alabama. Arnold Caplin, on the liner notes to the LP ''Hot Pianos 1926-1940'' reports that Mr. Davenport started playing the piano at age 12. His family objected strongly to his musical aspirations and sent him to a theological seminary, where he was expelled for playing ragtime.
Davenport's career began in the 1920s when he joined Banhoof's Traveling Carnival, a medicine show. His first fame came as accompanist to blues musicians Dora Carr and Ivy Smith. He also performed with Tampa Red. He recorded for many labels, and was a talent scout and artist for Vocalion Records. He suffered a stroke in the early 1930s and lost movement in his hands. He was washing dishes when he was found by jazz pianist Art Hodes in 1938. Hodes assisted in his rehabilitation and helped him find new recording contracts.
His best-known song was "Cow Cow Blues". In 1953, "Cow Cow Blues" was re-written by Ahmet Ertegün into Ray Charles' "Mess Around" which was Ray's first step away from his Nat Cole-esque style and into the style he would employ throughout the 50's for Atlantic Records. He claimed to have been the composer of "Mama Don't Allow It". He also said he had written the Louis Armstrong hit "I'll be Glad When Youi're Dead (You Rascal You)", but sold the rights and credit to others.
Cow Cow Davenport, who died in 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio, is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Cripple Clarence Lofton called him a major influence.
The 1940s hit song "Cow Cow Boogie" was probably named for him, but he did not write it. [1] "Cow Cow Boogie" was written by Benny Carter, Gene DePaul, and Don Raye.[2] It combined the then-popular "Western song" craze (exemplified by Johnny Mercer's "I'm an Old Cowhand") with the big-band boogie-woogie fad. The song was written for the Bud Abbot and Lou Costello film Ride 'Em Cowboy.