Kay Davis

Even among the biggest fans of Duke Ellington there is considerable controversy regarding his use of vocalists. The words "wimp" and "wimpy" come up from time to time, even in scholarly discourse, so it seems quite important to mention an Ellington vocalist whose actual surname was Wimp. This fact can also be interpreted to benefit either range of opinion regarding Ellington's various front-line singers over the years. Kay Davis' surname only became Wimp after she left the Ellington band in the early '50s. Listeners who find her unique, sound-oriented singing style a remarkabl...