Brother Bones

Freeman Davis (October 4, 1902 – June 14, 1974) was an American whistling and bone playing recording artist best known by his stage names "Brother Bones" and "Whistling Sam".

Early life

Freeman Davis was born in Montgomery, Alabama.

Career

Davis is best remembered for his 1949 recording (as Brother Bones and His Shadows) of the 1925 standard "Sweet Georgia Brown". The recording became nationally famous after its adoption as the theme song of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team in 1952. Notably, the bass line for this track uses the Novachord, a very early electronic synthesizer more prominently featured on the B side of the record. Despite the success of this record, Davis himself remained relatively unknown.

Death

Davis died in June 1974, in Long Beach, California, at the age of 71. Davis was buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park, Compton, Los Angeles County, California.

Popular culture

His song, "Black Eyed Susan Brown", was sampled in the De La Soul song, "Pease Porridge", on their 1991 album, De La Soul Is Dead.

"Sweet Georgia Brown" was used in the Vauxhall Meriva television advertisement in the UK.

References

External links

• Freeman "Brother Bones" Davis (1902–1974) – Find A Grave Memorial
• Recordings of Brother Bones at the Online Guide to Whistling Records
• Who is Brother Bones? on BoneDryMusic.com

1. Bone Brothers
2. Bones (TV series)
3. Layzie Bone
4. Harlem Globetrotters
5. Sweet Georgia Brown
6. Dem Bones
7. Bone Brothers (disambiguation)
8. Bone Brothers (album)
9. Bones (instrument)
10. Temperance "Bones" Brennan
11. Skull and Bones
12. Bones (rapper)
13. Bone Brothers 2
14. A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray
15. Jon Jones
16. Bones (surname)
17. Bones Brothers Ranch
18. Bones and All
19. Flesh-n-Bone
20. Danny Faragher