Tipitina’s will host a tribute to the late Jo “Cool” Davis, who passed away on August 5 at the age of 63. Davis was an acclaimed New Orleans gospel singer and a doorman at the iconic venue for nearly 30 years.
December 1999 issue of OffBeat.
The concert will take place this Friday, September 16. Tickets for the event are now on sale.
Billed as “Alright, Alright! A Tribute to Jo ‘Cool’ Davis,” the show will feature performances by Cyril Neville, The Rocks of Harmony, Betty Winn, Alfred Uganda Roberts, The Fortifiers and more. Davis was known to greet the crowd with “alright, alright!” prior to some of Tipitina’s biggest show, so the tribute to his life is billed accordingly.
In addition to his work at Tipitina’s, Davis had a stirling gospel singing career that saw him perform at Jazz Fest’s Gospel Tent for three decades. He was a regular at the House of Blues’ Sunday Gospel Brunch, and picked up two Big Easy Awards for Best Gospel (Individual or Group) in 1993 and 2013. He also earned a pot on the cover of OffBeat December 199 issue.
Davis’ funeral service was held at New Orleans’ Trinity Episcopal Church on August 13. He is survived by his wife Evelyn, daughter Charlene and twin brother George.
