Finding Aid

Special Collections Department
Raymond H. Fogler Library
University of Maine
Orono, ME

Summary Information:

Collection Title: Meyer Davis Collection
Date of Collection: 1880’s - 1977
Box Numbers: Boxes 2403 - 2465, 2509 - 2530
Quantity:  

Administrative Information:

Provenance: Gift of Ginia Davis Wexler and the family of Meyer Davis, 1997.
Access Restrictions: 
Preferred Citation:  Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University of Maine
Copyright:  Contact department for copyright information
For Additional Information:

Special Collections Department
University of Maine
5729 Fogler Library
Orono, Maine 04469-5729
(207) 581 1686

Historical/Biographical Information: 

Meyer Davis was born in Elliot City, MD in 1893.  He started his first band while in high school after being rejected by the school orchestra.  His band played for Woodrow Wilson and for every President since then until Gerald Ford.  His orchestra played at the inaugural balls of Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy.  The Davis Orchestra also played for weddings, debutante balls, including that for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, and on luxury liners.  At the height of his career, Davis owned 80 orchestras or bands with over 1,000 musicians.  The band also played for King George V of England, George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and at the 1939 World’s Fair.  Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey and Tommy Dorsey played in the Davis Orchestra for a while.  All of the photos and materials are contained in the collection.  Meyer Davis died in 1976.  Obituaries are in Box 2472.  His son, Gary, became a World Citizen.  Emery Davis took over the orchestra.  Meyer, Jr. was killed in action in World War II, and Ginia, his daughter, now lives in Maine.  His wife, Hilda, was a musician and composer in her own right and her material is in the collection.

Contents:  

The Meyer Davis collection reflects the career of a society orchestra leader.  Included are day books (of news clippings and publicity), photo albums, artifacts, letters, and other materials about the Davis family and the orchestra.

Arrangement:   

Scrapbooks and press books (day books) arranged chronologically, respectively. 

Meyer Davis Collection 

Finding Aids for selected manuscript collections in the Special Collections Department at Fogler Library are accessible online in URSUS, in a browsable Guide to Manuscript Collections, and in a keyword searchable database. Please contact Special Collections at spc@umit.maine.edu or (207) 581-1686 for further information.

 Revised: 08/06/2009

© 2000 Raymond H. Fogler Library, The University of Maine