Bert Etta Davis

Bert Etta Davis, also known as Birdie Davis or Lady Bird (December 12, 1923 – January 28, 1982) was an American alto saxophonist. The college's dean of women intervened and banned her from taking her spot in the group. She was not able to play in a band at the school until 1943 when an equivalent women's band, the Prairie View Co-eds, was established. Will Henry Bennett was the bandleader for both school ensembles.

Davis continued to perform in Tiny's band until 1951 when she moved to Chicago. There she was the bandleader of her own all-male ensemble before becoming a member of five-member group led by Memphis Slim. In 1964, she spent a year living and working in Sweden in a group led by pianist Meritt Hemengeon. Her church in San Antonio, St Paul United Methodist Church, embraced her talents and she played the Offertory at most Sunday services. To supplement her income in San Antonio, she worked for that city's branch of the Salvation Army. In 1980, she was a featured performer at the Women's Jazz Festival in Kansas City, Missouri. She also performed with the Houston-based jazz group, Ad Lib, in her later life.

Davis died in San Antonio on January 28, 1982.