Davis, Gussie L.
(1863–1899)> AFRICAN-AMERICAN SONGWRITER
Gussie L. Davis African-American songwriter Gussie Lord Davis, Dayton, Ohio, December 3, 1863; Whitestone, New York, October 18, 1899. Davis was a Gay Nineties songwriter most famous for the sentimental hit “In the Baggage Coach Ahead.” Davis moved to Cincinnati in his middle teens to attend Nelson Musical College. Because he was black, his application was rejected, so he made a deal with the administration to trade janitorial services for private lessons. His first song, “We Sat Beneath the…