Meyer Davis

• Born 10 January 1893, Washington, DC
• Died 5 April 1976, New York City

Along with Lester Lanin, Meyer Davis invented the concept of the dance band contractor and controlled a healthy share of the music market for East Coast society functions through for over 30 years. Davis organized his first band in the early 1920s, and just a few years later, already had two groups appearing under his name at the same time--one at the Willard Hotel in Washington and one at a hotel in Philadelphia, with Davis shuttling between the two.

This led him to develop contacts with local musicians and country clubs, hotels, and other facilities owners, and he set up a booking office that began taking on the job of providing a "Meyer Davis Orchestra" for everything from debutante balls and weddings to Presidential galas. His organization and reputation for delivering a consistent if unremarkable quality of dance music put him well ahead of most local bands. His main competition was Lanin, who came on the scene a little later, and between themselves, they divided up most of the prestigious social functions of Washington, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston through the 1950s and 1960s.

Recordings