at the time, along with Hendrix's father Al. Davis let Jimi play his guitar and gave him some lessons, which was the first time that Hendrix had played an electric guitar. Inspired by Davis' onstage antics and style, Hendrix soon began adopting the stage act that he became known for, including playing his guitar with his teeth, and playing behind his back. Davis remained friends with both Jimi and Al Hendrix throughout their lifetimes. In 1959, Davis also met blues guitarist B.B. King, while they were both performing in Atlanta, Georgia, and they remained close friends until King's passing in 2015. In 1960, as Billy Davis and The Legends, he recorded a song for Peacock Records called "Spunky Onions", which was a modified version of a Midnighters instrumental that they would play live. The song was renamed "Spunky Onions" before it was released, so as not to offend anyone with the use of the word funky. In the fall of 1960, while in Memphis during a stop on their tour, Elvis Presley dispatched 2 state troopers to Crump Stadium where Hank Ballard and The Midnighters were playing at to bring them to his Graceland mansion for a meetup. Ballard was reluctant at first, and only agreed to go when he saw the rest of the band were going to go without him. In 1962, Davis was drafted in to the United States Army at Fort Knox, Kentucky, for basic training before heading to South Korea for thirteen months. He entertained at service clubs, playing country music for his Commanding Officers. While in the service, Davis arranged for Hendrix to audition with The Midnighters as his interim replacement and Hendrix joined them for a short time. Davis rejoined The Midnighters upon his return from service and continued until the group disbanded. After leaving the military, Davis moved to New York City and quickly became a sought-after session guitarist, recording with many artists such as Joe Tex, Isley Brothers, The Drifters, Ben E. King and Millie Jackson, recording for numerous labels, such as Atlantic records, Buddah Records, Dial Records and Polydor. Davis played his final performance in the Bahamas with original lineup of The Midnighters in 1965. He then moved back to Memphis, Tennessee and worked briefly for Willie Mitchell at Hi Records. Davis then moved back to New York, where he did more session work, playing on recordings by many acts