Tribute to Edward “Chick” Davis

Tribute to Edward “Chick” Davis by artist John Lewis celebrates the rich history and traditions of South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by paying tribute to pioneering entrepreneur Edward “Chick” Davis. Davis, who passed away in 2006 at age 99, owned and operated three billiards parlors starting in the 1940s, and was a long-time member of the South Street Business Association. Having learned and perfected his billiards playing skills at the Christian Street YMCA in the early 1900s, Chick Davis became a national legend, playing all around the country against the likes of Minnesota Fats and Willie Mosconi.

According to Davis’ daughter, LaDeva, her father made sure there were no drugs, alcohol or anything illicit in his pool halls. Rather, he chose to make his premises places where young black men could learn the game of billiards as well as Davis’s hallmark sportsmanship, free from the kind of harassment and discrimination he himself had faced as he traveled the country playing and fighting for the right to play as an equal.