I got a call from Greg Brown one day saying that he wanted to show me a flyer he did for Old Davis. He said it was a band featuring a member of what would become Journey, either Gregg Rolie or Neil Schon. We did not sent up a meeting and when I asked him about this some time later, he forgot where he put it.
I tried to find this band by Google and could never remember the name.
By the way, I am starting to use the term “Google” as a verb, because Alan Eagle talked at my Andy Dolich sports marketing class and said it was “okay”. (Previously and various I used a coined term, “search-injun” as a verb and noun).
When I tried to find cites about my own Charlie Musselwhite concert, coming to the Palo Alto JCC, I found a flyer for the bluesman playing the Big Beat of Palo Alto which was on San Antonio near Charleston. Old Davis was on the bill.
For some reason, my Elvin Bishop show is selling much better than my Charlie Musselwhite show. I tried to get them to appear as a duo but they would not. (They are playing together in Berkeley I think). My Elvin show features Mitch Woods with Maria Muldaur as a support act. My Charlie show features the emerging artist Valerie Troutt of Oakland and Howard Wiley.
Other groups or acts to appear in upcoming shows, mostly at the Mitch, include: Matt the Electrician and Sylvie Simmons (at Cubberley, room H-1 — hey that reminds me: maybe I should have “Beat Hotel Rm 32′ to a 12 minute opening set, or Sussman Can’t Sleep; Dave Douglas Engage; Larry Ochs Dave Rempis; Mother Hips Duo; Patricia Barber; CJ Chenier; Marta Sanchez; Wayne Horvitz Sara Schoenbeck – -I’m actually doing a set of piano duo co-bills; Johnny A.
So much for Old Davis: anybody?
b/w
The art for this Charlie Musselwhite Old Davis Big Beat flyer looks like the Day on the Green logo, right? (I’m not saying that Greg Brown did the Day on the Green art – its likely a different flyer…) seems to say “Martin”
Plastic Alto with Mark Weiss 
It was Schon… I went to high scholl with him. Old Davis were the biggest band on the mid peninsula at the time.
If the flyer etc. and info is correct it would have been Neil S., however Old Davis originally began with Nineyear, Gary Desantis, Sal Manager (sp?) and lead guitarist superb Ken Neufield.Message me back for more info. Thanks
Hello. My name is Mark Hansen. I played in several rock cover bands in Redwood City, CA in 1968-1970, and I am told that Old Davis was a Redwood City band, however I don’t recall ever hearing of them. Can you please tell me more about them? I see Neil Schon was a member at one point, but he went to Aragon HS in San Mateo. Thank you.
Hello. I was playing in bands in Redwood City in 1968-1970, and I don’t remember hearing of Old Davis, or any of the people you mentioned. I see by your last name that you must be related to Nineyear. Can you please tell me more about them? Thank you.
Hi, Louis. Thank you for putting me in touch with Gary DeSantis, one of the founding members of Old Davis. Gary actually called me on the phone, and we had a very nice conversation. He told me all about Old Davis. The members were from San Mateo, San Bruno, and other cities. However, they did all live together in Redwood City for a while. I learned that they were four years older than us, so that is mainly why they were not my Redwood City bands’ “competition” for local gigs in 1968-70, and we never crossed paths. However, it turned out that Gary and I knew some of the same people.
Thank you for the information about Old Davis. Although the headline says “circa 1970”, the date of the concert on the poster was “Sunday, March 24”, which was in1968. Neil Schon would have been 14 at that time. Quite a prodigy!