Betty Davis (album)
Encyclopedia
Betty Davis is the self-titled debut album by Betty Davis
, released through Just Sunshine Records (an upstart label) in 1973. The album was produced by Greg Errico
and features contributions from a number of noted musicians such as Neal Schon
, Sylvester, Larry Graham
and The Pointer Sisters. While it underperformed commercially at the time of its release, it is now regarded as a classic album. In 2007, the album was re-issued on CD
and vinyl
by the Light in the Attic
label.
trumpeter Miles Davis
, and also as the featured model on the front cover of the jazz legend's 1968 album Filles de Kilimanjaro
. The song "Mademoiselle Mabry" off Filles... is dedicated to Davis (whose maiden-name is Mabry) and was recorded around the time of their marriage in September 1968. Unbeknownst to most, the then-23-year-old Davis was herself a professional model and also a performer of soul and funk music, having written for the Chambers Brothers
and put out a single on Don Costa
's DCP imprint. Davis was a known face in emerging musical circles who had a strong stylistic and musical influence on her former husband (she personally introduced him to Jimi Hendrix) during their short marriage which ended after just a year.
, a 28-year-old Davis moved to Los Angeles in order to record with Santana
but soon changed her focus and with help from Greg Errico
(of Sly & The Family Stone
), assembled a rich list of veteran Bay Area
musicians to record her own material. These included Neal Schon
(of Santana
), Larry Graham
and several other members of Graham Central Station
, as well as Sylvester and The Pointer Sisters (who performed background vocals). The resulting album was recorded between 1972 and 1973 and, while primarily a funk-soul album, featured an eclectic array of sounds and deviations reflective of the wide array of musicians present on the record.
, I'm raunchy dancing, I'm-a-doing it doing it" while on the latter, Davis' irreverent approach towards love songs is evident as she states in a half-sung, half-growled manner:
Regarding a three-way affair, "Your Man My Man" also contains lyrics such as:
"Steppin' In Her I. Miller Shoes", relays the story of a talented young woman who comes to the "jungle" with big dreams, only to end up a tragic victim of the entertainment industry. The song features an uptempo beat and hard rock guitars as well as background vocals by The Pointer Sisters. In a 2007 interview Davis revealed that the song was based on the life of Devon Wilson, a one-time girlfriend of Jimi Hendrix with whom Davis had been close friends with. Wilson is also the subject of "Angel
" by Hendrix. With their hard-funk/rock-fused sounds, few of the songs from the album were catered for radio play, however the closer "In The Meantime" features organ-based chords and perhaps the most restrained and straightfoward performance on the whole album.
picked it up for a re-release. Retrospective reviews of the album proclaim it a groundbreaking effort, noting that content-wise it was ahead of its time, and challenged the accepted image of a female funk and soul singer. Popmatters
called Betty Davis "funk like no other. Its closest musical relation is Sly Stone
's early '70s molasses" and praising her performance on the album as "a slow cooker of unbridled lust that teases and passes each beat, and flicks and licks each chord." The magazine noted Davis' "frequent reversing of gender roles and expectations to demonstrate control and strength" Likewise, Allmusic call it "an outstanding funk record, driven by her [Davis'] aggressive, no-nonsense songs". In his 1990 biography Miles Davis said of his former wife's musical legacy:
Liner notes from the 2007 re-issue of the album also include the following statement by Carlos Santana
:
"Anti Love Song", one of the album's most popular cuts, has been sampled by hip hop
artists such as Da Beatminerz
("Anti-Love Song"), Godfather Don
("Piece of the Action"), and Nextmen ("Revitalize").
The CD reissue includes three previously unreleased bonus tracks, all from the same album sessions.
Betty Davis
Betty Davis is an American funk, rock and soul singer. She was also Miles Davis's second wife.- Background :She worked as a model, appearing in photo spreads in Seventeen, Ebony and Glamour...
, released through Just Sunshine Records (an upstart label) in 1973. The album was produced by Greg Errico
Greg Errico
Greg Errico, sometimes missspelled as Gregg Errico, is an Italian American musician/record producer, best known for being the drummer for the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band, Sly & the Family Stone...
and features contributions from a number of noted musicians such as Neal Schon
Neal Schon
Neal George Joseph Schon is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to have recorded on all of Journey's albums...
, Sylvester, Larry Graham
Larry Graham
Larry Graham, Jr. is an African American bass guitar player, both with the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station...
and The Pointer Sisters. While it underperformed commercially at the time of its release, it is now regarded as a classic album. In 2007, the album was re-issued on CD
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
and vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
by the Light in the Attic
Light In The Attic Records
Light In The Attic Records is an independent record label established in 2002 in Seattle, Washington by Matt Sullivan, known for its roster of reissue projects, and for its distribution catalog. . As reissue label, Light In The Attic has re-released works by artists such as Betty Davis, Serge...
label.
Background
Before the album's release, Davis was best-known as the second wife of jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trumpeter Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, and also as the featured model on the front cover of the jazz legend's 1968 album Filles de Kilimanjaro
Filles de Kilimanjaro
is a studio album by American jazz recording artist Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and September 1968...
. The song "Mademoiselle Mabry" off Filles... is dedicated to Davis (whose maiden-name is Mabry) and was recorded around the time of their marriage in September 1968. Unbeknownst to most, the then-23-year-old Davis was herself a professional model and also a performer of soul and funk music, having written for the Chambers Brothers
The Chambers Brothers
The Chambers Brothers is a soul-music group, best known for its 1968 hit record, the 11-minute long song "Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions with modern psychedelic and rock elements, spawning a heady mix...
and put out a single on Don Costa
Don Costa
Don Costa was an American pop music arranger and record producer, best known for his work with Frank Sinatra.-Career:...
's DCP imprint. Davis was a known face in emerging musical circles who had a strong stylistic and musical influence on her former husband (she personally introduced him to Jimi Hendrix) during their short marriage which ended after just a year.
Recording
In the early 70s, after a stint of modeling in the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, a 28-year-old Davis moved to Los Angeles in order to record with Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
but soon changed her focus and with help from Greg Errico
Greg Errico
Greg Errico, sometimes missspelled as Gregg Errico, is an Italian American musician/record producer, best known for being the drummer for the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band, Sly & the Family Stone...
(of Sly & The Family Stone
Sly & the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
), assembled a rich list of veteran Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
musicians to record her own material. These included Neal Schon
Neal Schon
Neal George Joseph Schon is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to have recorded on all of Journey's albums...
(of Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
), Larry Graham
Larry Graham
Larry Graham, Jr. is an African American bass guitar player, both with the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station...
and several other members of Graham Central Station
Graham Central Station
Graham Central Station is a funk band named after founder Larry Graham . The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Terminal, often incorrectly called Grand Central Station....
, as well as Sylvester and The Pointer Sisters (who performed background vocals). The resulting album was recorded between 1972 and 1973 and, while primarily a funk-soul album, featured an eclectic array of sounds and deviations reflective of the wide array of musicians present on the record.
Music
Written by Davis herself, much of the album's songs are built around funk grooves, driving percussion and heavy guitars. Davis' vocal stylings are expressive and boisterous (as on "If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up"), but also playful and sensual (as on "Anti Love Song"). On the former she boldly sings "I'm wigglin' my fannyButtocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
, I'm raunchy dancing, I'm-a-doing it doing it" while on the latter, Davis' irreverent approach towards love songs is evident as she states in a half-sung, half-growled manner:
No I don't wanna love you...
cause I know you could make me suffer
I know you could drive me mad
I know you'd just take me in a circle
when it got real
I know you'd disappear
thats why I AIN'T gonna love you
Regarding a three-way affair, "Your Man My Man" also contains lyrics such as:
He's your man, my man
it's all the same 'cause you need him
you please him when he's there
I free him, I release him, when he's here...
"Steppin' In Her I. Miller Shoes", relays the story of a talented young woman who comes to the "jungle" with big dreams, only to end up a tragic victim of the entertainment industry. The song features an uptempo beat and hard rock guitars as well as background vocals by The Pointer Sisters. In a 2007 interview Davis revealed that the song was based on the life of Devon Wilson, a one-time girlfriend of Jimi Hendrix with whom Davis had been close friends with. Wilson is also the subject of "Angel
Dolly Dagger
"Dolly Dagger" is the name of a song written and recorded by Jimi Hendrix. It was first released on 9 October 1971 on the posthumous LP Rainbow Bridge, and on 23 October it was released on a single to promote the LP, backed with a solo rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. It peaked at no. 74 on...
" by Hendrix. With their hard-funk/rock-fused sounds, few of the songs from the album were catered for radio play, however the closer "In The Meantime" features organ-based chords and perhaps the most restrained and straightfoward performance on the whole album.
Initial reaction
Despite performing to enthusiastic crowds and receiving acclaim from her fellow musicians, Davis was criticised by many mainstream publications and outlets for her suggestive lyrical content and open sexual attitude. The album's lead single "If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up", was shunned by the majority of popular radio stations, including those catering to black audiences, which in turn hurt the album's momentum considerably. Davis garnered notoriety through her rowdy and spontaneous live shows, featuring the artist in a colourful selection of often revealing outfits, and playfully interacting with her audience.Legacy and acclaim
Due to its initial lack of success, with time the album became an obscure collectors' item until 2007 when specialist label Light in the AtticLight In The Attic Records
Light In The Attic Records is an independent record label established in 2002 in Seattle, Washington by Matt Sullivan, known for its roster of reissue projects, and for its distribution catalog. . As reissue label, Light In The Attic has re-released works by artists such as Betty Davis, Serge...
picked it up for a re-release. Retrospective reviews of the album proclaim it a groundbreaking effort, noting that content-wise it was ahead of its time, and challenged the accepted image of a female funk and soul singer. Popmatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
called Betty Davis "funk like no other. Its closest musical relation is Sly Stone
Sly Stone
Sly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of...
's early '70s molasses" and praising her performance on the album as "a slow cooker of unbridled lust that teases and passes each beat, and flicks and licks each chord." The magazine noted Davis' "frequent reversing of gender roles and expectations to demonstrate control and strength" Likewise, Allmusic call it "an outstanding funk record, driven by her [Davis'] aggressive, no-nonsense songs". In his 1990 biography Miles Davis said of his former wife's musical legacy:
If Betty were singing today she'd be something like MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, something like PrincePrince (musician)Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, only as a woman. She was the beginning of all that when she was singing as Betty Davis.
Liner notes from the 2007 re-issue of the album also include the following statement by Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
:
She was the first Madonna, but Madonna is more like Marie OsmondMarie OsmondOlive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, doll designer, and a member of the show business family The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s...
compared to Betty Davis. Betty was a real ferocious Black PantherBlack Panther PartyThe Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
woman. You couldn't tame Betty Davis.
"Anti Love Song", one of the album's most popular cuts, has been sampled by hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artists such as Da Beatminerz
Da Beatminerz
Da Beatminerz are a hip-hop production crew from Bushwick, Brooklyn, and are known for their dark, gritty sound that is very popular with the underground hip-hop scene.-History:The crew, originally composed of brothers Mr...
("Anti-Love Song"), Godfather Don
Godfather Don
Godfather Don is a New York City hip hop record producer. He was in Cenobites with Kool Keith and The Groove Merchantz with Victor Padilla, The Beatnuts production team. He has been "a creative force within New York City's underground hip-hop scene" since he appeared with debut in...
("Piece of the Action"), and Nextmen ("Revitalize").
Side one
- "If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up" – 5:00
- "Walkin' Up The Road" – 2:55
- "Anti Love Song" – 4:32
- "Your Man My Man" – 3:39
Side two
- "Ooh Yeah" – 3:09
- "Steppin' In Her I. Miller Shoes" – 3:15
- "Game Is My Middle Name" – 5:12
- "In The Meantime" – 2:44
The CD reissue includes three previously unreleased bonus tracks, all from the same album sessions.
- "Come Take Me" – 3:56
- "You Won't See Me In The Morning" – 3:50
- "I Will Take That Ride" – 4:43
Personnel
- Betty DavisBetty DavisBetty Davis is an American funk, rock and soul singer. She was also Miles Davis's second wife.- Background :She worked as a model, appearing in photo spreads in Seventeen, Ebony and Glamour...
- Lead and Backing Vocals - Larry GrahamLarry GrahamLarry Graham, Jr. is an African American bass guitar player, both with the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station...
, Doug Rauch - Bass - Gregg Errico, Willie Sparks - Drums
- Neal SchonNeal SchonNeal George Joseph Schon is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to have recorded on all of Journey's albums...
, Doug Rodrigues - Guitar - Pete Sears - Piano
- Richard Kermode - Piano, Clavinet
- Merl Saunders - Electric Piano, Clavinet
- Hershall Kennedy - Organ, Clavinet, Backing Vocals
- Victor Pantoja - Congas
- Mic GilletteMic GilletteMic Gillette is an American brass player born in 1951 and raised in northern California's East Bay area. He is famous for being a member of Tower of Power, Cold Blood, and The Sons of Champlin....
- Trombone - Greg Adams - Trumpet
- Skip Mesquite - Saxophone
- Jules Broussard - Baritone Saxophone
- The Pointer Sisters, Sylvester, Patryce Banks, Kathi McDonald, Annie Sampson, Willy Sparks - Backing Vocals
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Top Soul Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
54 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
||||
| 1973 | "If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up " | 66 | ||