[1][2][3][4] He was well regarded as a session artist and solo performer, was a member of Taj Mahal's backing band and played with musicians such as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, John Lennon, and George Harrison.

His father, Jesse Edwin "Bus" Davis II, was a citizen of the Comanche Nation[8] and a Muscogee and Seminole descendant.

[10][4][12][13] Davis began his musical career in the late 1950s in Oklahoma City and surrounding cities with John Ware (later a drummer for Emmylou Harris and Michael Nesmith during the First National Band era); John Selk (later a bass player for Donovan) late 1950s; Jerry Fisher (later a vocalist with Blood, Sweat & Tears);[14] and drummer Bill Maxwell (later with Andrae Crouch).

Davis and Tillison − both Oklahoman − were joined at the Record Plant by Bobby Bruce (fiddle), Larry Knechtel (organ and harmonica), Stan Szelest (piano); Billy Rich (bass); Jim Keltner (from Oklahoma, drums) and Sandy Konikoff (percussion); Don Preston and Joey Cooper were vocal accompanists.

[21] After guesting with Russell on Bob Dylan's 1971 singles "Watching the River Flow" and “When I Paint My Masterpiece”, and collaborating in Albert King’s Lovejoy, Davis went on to work with George Harrison, performing at the ex-Beatle's 1971 Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden, along with Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Russell, Keltner, Clapton and others.

[16] In addition, Davis was a guest performer on other albums by former Beatles: Harrison's Extra Texture (1975)[28] and Starr's Goodnight Vienna (1974) and Ringo's Rotogravure (1976).

In addition to the artists listed above, Davis contributed to albums by Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Keith Moon, Steve Miller, Guthrie Thomas, Harry Nilsson, Ry Cooder, David Cassidy, Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, Rick Danko, Van Dyke Parks and others.

At this show, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and John Fogerty got up from the audience to join Davis and Mahal in an unrehearsed set which included Fogerty's "Proud Mary" and Dylan's "Watching the River Flow", as well as classics such as "Blue Suede Shoes", "Peggy Sue", "Honey Don't", "Matchbox" and "Gone, Gone, Gone".

[15] Davis collapsed in the laundry room of an apartment building and was pronounced dead in Venice, Los Angeles, California, on June 22, 1988.

Davis had a fresh needle mark on one arm and burned matches and tin foil were scattered on the ground nearby.

Poet Laureate and jazz saxophonist, co-curated an exhibition, Jesse Ed Davis: Natural Anthem at the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2024.

[2] Miller wrote a biography, Washita Love Child: The Rise of Indigenous Rock Star Jesse Ed Davis (2024), to which Harjo contributed an essay.