Madeleine Davis (born
Matalyne Homernell Bryan October 20, 1952 in Georgia) is an
American-bornThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop and jazz singer and a stage actress. Her father was a pharmacist and her mother a housewife, substitute teacher, and singing evangelist for the
African Methodist Episcopal ChurchThe African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the "AME Church", is a Methodist denomination founded by Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the mid-Atlantic area that wanted independence from white Methodists...
in the state of
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
.
Madeleine has recorded in
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
and
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
, and performed live in
CroatianCroatian is a South Slavic language which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Croatian minorities in some neighbouring countries, in the Italian region of Molise, and parts of the Croatian diaspora....
. She has lived in Europe most of her adult life, mainly in
MunichMunich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg...
,
AmsterdamAmsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country...
, and
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, and most recently in the
Canary IslandsThe Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago which, in turn, forms one of the Spanish Autonomous Communities and an Outermost Region of the European Union. The archipelago is located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the disputed border between Morocco and the...
and
Balearic IslandsThe Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula....
.
Madeleine "Matt" Davis attended public schools in Columbus, Georgia, and one year of private school at Mother Mary Mission in
Phenix City, AlabamaPhenix City is a city in Russell County in the U.S. state of Alabama. Portions of Lee County are addressed as Phenix City, 36870 ZIP code, for the sole purpose that Smith's Station does not have full incorporation to annex the area. As of 2006, the population of the city was 30,067, according to...
.
Madeleine Davis (born
Matalyne Homernell Bryan October 20, 1952 in Georgia) is an
American-bornThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop and jazz singer and a stage actress. Her father was a pharmacist and her mother a housewife, substitute teacher, and singing evangelist for the
African Methodist Episcopal ChurchThe African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the "AME Church", is a Methodist denomination founded by Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the mid-Atlantic area that wanted independence from white Methodists...
in the state of
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
.
Madeleine has recorded in
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
and
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
, and performed live in
CroatianCroatian is a South Slavic language which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Croatian minorities in some neighbouring countries, in the Italian region of Molise, and parts of the Croatian diaspora....
. She has lived in Europe most of her adult life, mainly in
MunichMunich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg...
,
AmsterdamAmsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country...
, and
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, and most recently in the
Canary IslandsThe Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago which, in turn, forms one of the Spanish Autonomous Communities and an Outermost Region of the European Union. The archipelago is located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the disputed border between Morocco and the...
and
Balearic IslandsThe Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula....
.
Biography
Madeleine "Matt" Davis attended public schools in Columbus, Georgia, and one year of private school at Mother Mary Mission in
Phenix City, AlabamaPhenix City is a city in Russell County in the U.S. state of Alabama. Portions of Lee County are addressed as Phenix City, 36870 ZIP code, for the sole purpose that Smith's Station does not have full incorporation to annex the area. As of 2006, the population of the city was 30,067, according to...
. She inherited her artistic talents from her mother, and often accompanied her mother as pianist. She studied the arts at an early age and made her singing debut on a local kids' TV show called
The Cowboy Bob Show at the age of four. She is a graduate of Baker High School in Columbus where her favorite subjects were music and theater, and was encouraged by her teachers to audition for the Springer Opera House Children's Theater production of
AESOP'S FALLABLES. She gave a riveting performance as Mod Mouse, the motorcycle riding hippie mouse. Other Springer productions include
The SOUND OF MUSIC,
SOPHISTICATED LADIES directed by Mercedes Ellington, and other music reviews. She attended Florida State University Summer Music Camp and was voted "Most Talented" by her classmates. Davis is a graduate of Morris Brown College in Atlanta where she was Student Director of the famous Morris Brown College Concert Choir, a member of The ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHORUS, The Atlanta Gospel Movement, singer–dancer with the Crystal Pistol Show at SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA, Radio Announcer at WAUC AM Radio, and president of Gamma Beta Chapter of Delta Omicron Professional Music Fraternity for Women. She also attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.
After college, Davis toured with Atlanta music theater director Billy Densmore and Company in the musical review "FOOTLIGHTS and FANFARE" for the Armed Forces Professional Entertainment Organization touring Army and Air Bases in Germany and Italy during the Bicentennial. Returning to the USA, she toured with the critically acclaimed Black Music Repertory Theater troup The VOICES, Inc. Getting a gig with an oompah band in Germany proved to be a great stepping stone.
Madeleine was able to venture into the city of Munich, Germany and quickly became the most sought after backing vocalist–backing vocal arranger–backing vocal producer for top European producers and Entertainers including producers Ralph Siegel, Tony Monn, Frank Farian, Dietmar Kawohl, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte, Michael Kunze, Sylvester Levay, Mal Luker, Geoff Bastow, Rainer Pietsch, Leslie Mandoki, and entertainers Linda Fields, Sananda Maitreya (Terence Trent Darby's early works), Engelbert Humperdinck, Peggy March, Amanda Lear, Boney M, Penny McLean, Ramona Leiss, Michael Holm, Claudja Barry, Michael Schanze, Klaus Doldinger, Head Heart and Hands, La Bionda, Patrick Gammon, Dusko Lokin, Hoyt Axton, Roberta Kelly, Rick Astley, Abi Ofarim, La Mama, and many others. She returned to the States to appear in the Earl Wilson Jr. musical
LET MY PEOPLE COME, worked as backing vocalist with Grammy-nominee Jason "Malletman" Taylor, and with Dino Terrell and Linda Miller as INTRIGUE. The trio had a dance hit with the single "Fly GIRL" (World Trade Records) in 1985 produced by Leroy Burgess.
Meanwhile back in Europe, Liz Mitchell, lead singer of the mega-hit group Boney M decided to go solo and Madeleine was next in line to step out front. She returned to Munich and toured extensively with the band and recorded "EVERYBODY WANTS to DANCE like JOSEPHINE BAKER" single and video, and recorded the MEGA MIX video (Sony BMG Music Entertainment). Much chaos ensued amongst the band members and producer Frank Farian. Davis returned home to Georgia to appear in the HARVEY MILK SHOW for the Cultural Olympiad in Atlanta, Onstage Atlanta's A CHAINSAW CHORUS LINE CHRISTMAS CAROL, and the 1940s
RADIO HOUR at Theatre-in-the-Square in Marietta, Georgia. Currently, Madeleine is recording her first solo jazz CD to be released on the indie label SoCo Jazz-on-the-River based in her hometown of Columbus, Georgia.