Buster's grand vision to transform Calistoga’s culinary and music scene
By Tim Carl
As we commemorate Juneteenth, we spotlight an extraordinary figure whose achievements resonate with the spirit of the day: Charles "Buster" Davis. In the picturesque town of Calistoga in northern Napa Valley's wine country, Davis’ entrepreneurial success signifies not only his and his wife, Barbara Jolly’s, personal triumph, but it also reflects the resilience and ambition of African Americans throughout history. His narrative is a potent reminder of our ongoing shared journey toward a more inclusive society. On this significant day, we recognize Buster Davis, a true trailblazer in Napa Valley and beyond.
CALISTOGA, Calif. — Buster's Southern BBQ, Jazz and Blues Club, established in 2000, is known for its wood-fire smoked barbecue and for spotlighting local jazz and blues musicians. This reputation is due to the relentless ambition of its owners, Barbara Jolly and Charles "Buster" Davis, a 74-year-old former NFL athlete and entrepreneur with a diverse portfolio of businesses that range from a fruit stand to bakeries.
Davis has always desired expansion. From its humble beginnings as a small barbecue stand, his Calistoga venue has grown to feature a music stage and a serene setting of terraced flower gardens. His current ambition is a grand one: to expand into a world-class music and food venue that will certainly provoke a range of reactions from this tight-knit community.
Beyond creating a space for musicians to play, Davis also sees the new venue as a draw for bringing people together.
“Music and food connect people,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you come from or what your political beliefs are, music and food transcend all that. And isn’t that what we all need more of right now? Yes, this will benefit me as a businessperson, but I’m getting old, and my bigger concern is what we are leaving behind for the young people in this world.”
Although this project has countless hurdles in front of it, it is conceivable — given Davis’ history — that he might actually achieve his goal, or at least part of it.
Aware of the imminent community concerns, he assures critics that he and his team have dedicated substantial time and effort into planning and engineering the transformation. His goal is not just to expand the venue's seating capacity but also to demonstrate that this change will bring a net positive impact to the community. Soon, he will present his plan to the city of Calistoga.
The early years
Davis' journey began just outside Los Angeles, where he was born into a family of nine children, all of whom graduated from college. His father, originally from Louisiana, migrated to Southern California in the early 1940s to work in the shipyards. His mother, an avid cook and baker, joined him a few years later. By 1949, when Davis was born, the family had established themselves in the small agricultural town of Saticoy, in Ventura County.
His family taught Davis the value of hard work, a strong family and a good education. These traits combined and magnified into a keen interest in business that energized him, but it wasn’t until after his time in the NFL that desperate need brought this spirit to the forefront.
His athletic abilities had always secured him a place in school and within the community. After high school, he said he obtained a scholarship to play football at Long Beach State and later landed a spot in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
Despite his success, however, injuries and the fickle nature of NFL contracts forced him to leave the league after only a few years. With a young family to support, he took multiple jobs to make ends meet. This phase of his life ignited an entrepreneurial spirit within him that led to the creation of several businesses, including a fruit stand, nearly a dozen barbecue restaurants and a bakery. This journey, marked with both successes and failures, provided Davis with valuable experience in the ever-competitive business world.
“At 72, our mom informed us that she wanted to go back to school and get her degree to become a baker,” he said. “By the time she graduated, alongside my sister, I’d built her bakery next to my fruit stand. It was my brother Paul who first started selling barbeque, but when he left so many people were asking for it that I brought it back.”
Davis was frequently spotted at his establishments sampling food and conversing with guests and staff. And although he never drank alcohol or smoked cigarettes, he was quite fond of his own barbecue, which has a reputation for remaining some of the most consistently flavored barbecue around.
“If you didn’t like it in the past, you will not like it now because it ain’t gonna change,” he said, giving a big rolling laugh.
By the mid 1990s Davis had become a successful businessman, provided his family with space for their own business and had “blown up” to 500 pounds, with a body mass index of more than 40.
“My doctor told me that if I didn’t change, I didn’t have much time left,” he said.
That health crisis pushed Davis to embark on a transformative journey that included weight loss surgery and an intensive exercise regimen. Knowing that Sugar Ray Leonard had a body mass index of 3% and recalling his past life as a fine-toned athlete provided him confidence that it was possible. He announced to his doctor and nurse that he would cut his weight in half and get his BMI to 3%.
“They looked at me like I was nuts, and when my nurse told me, ‘You can’t do that,’ I said thank you because I knew that I’d prove her wrong,” he said. “And then it was like I was heading into battle.”
Davis sold all his businesses, bought a house in Ojai, converted the garage to a gym and prepared for what would be a two-year battle to regain his health. By the time he finished he had augmented weight-loss surgery with eight hours a day of exercise seven days a week.
According to Davis, the medical professionals were amazed and often asked him to be a guest speaker when they conducted seminars on the power to transform your life.
During this same time, a customer — Peter Lang — who had frequented his barbecue restaurants in Ventura County, contacted Davis to see if he would be interested in heading to Northern California to help with a new venture. Lang and his wife, Nancy, had left Southern California, where Lang had been a Hollywood set designer and his wife had been a zoologist, to open up Safari West in Sonoma County.
Within a year of relocating to the area, Davis opened Buster's Original Southern BBQ in Calistoga.
Growing ambitions
“At first it was just a very small stand with my pit outside,” he said, “but people loved it and so we expanded and then expanded again.”
Soon he met and married Barbara Jolly, and beyond just serving barbecue, the couple noticed that Bay Area jazz and blues musicians were inquiring as to if they might play at the restaurant. Davis had seen this before. Years earlier, as musicians commuted home from their day jobs in Los Angeles, they often stopped to grab dinner at one of his outlets, occasionally breaking out their instruments and playing.
“It was just something that happened, and if one started playing it would only be a matter of minutes before another one started to play,” he said. “But the thing I did notice was that music brought in more customers but also brought in a bunch of different kinds of people from all walks of life. Barbecue does that, too, but add in music and it multiplies the effect.”
Davis’ new plan is to turn his establishment into a destination for music and food enthusiasts. A proposed music stage and seating that might accommodate up to 250 people forms the cornerstone of this plan. However, physical expansion is only a small piece of Davis' vision. He aspires to attract world-class musicians across genres, aiming to create an environment where artists can showcase their talents.
Davis wants Buster's to be more than an entertainment venue. He aims to foster community engagement and celebrate diverse perspectives. Recognizing the unifying power of music and food, he envisions an inclusive space for everyone. This includes forging partnerships with local organizations, schools and artists to provide workshops, educational programs and mentorship opportunities.
The journey to realizing this dream isn't without obstacles. Logistical challenges and construction issues are but a few of the stumbling blocks that lie ahead. Additionally, residents, city authorities and the broader community are sure to raise concerns, such as the likely increases in traffic, noise, water use, resource allocation and other potential impacts on the community.
Is this just a dream? Maybe, but given Davis’ track record, I wonder what odds the Las Vegas bookies might place on this potential project. Regardless of what the future holds, Charles "Buster" Davis' life story stands as a testament to the unyielding spirit of an entrepreneur. From his humble beginnings through his NFL career, personal trials and now his vision for Buster's in Calistoga, Davis' journey is characterized by resilience and unwavering determination. With an expanded venue, high-quality musicians and a commitment to community engagement, Davis hopes to enhance Calistoga's cultural landscape by laying the foundation for a destination that celebrates artistry, fosters unity and leaves a lasting impact on the Calistoga community and beyond.
This is such an excellent article that I am wondering if you have thought of sending it to our local ABC7 new station. It would be terrific to have some local coverage of Charles Buster Davis.
Great story!