Paul Davis (singer)
Encyclopedia
Paul Lavon Davis was an American
singer and songwriter, best known for his radio hits and solo career which started worldwide in 1970. His career encompassed soul
, country
and pop music
. Notable songs in his career include 1977's "I Go Crazy
", a #7 pop hit which once held the record for the longest chart run on the Billboard Hot 100
, as well as the #6 "'65 Love Affair
", his highest-charting pop hit. In the mid 1980s, he also had two country #1 hits as a guest vocalist on songs by Marie Osmond
and Tanya Tucker
, and wrote singles for other country singers.
, based in Jackson, Mississippi
. He also had a stint with Detroit based group The Spinners, whom he'd produced, written and arranged for.
Ilene Berns
, widow of Bert Berns
, signed Davis to Bang Records
in 1969, and in 1970, released a cover version
of The Jarmels
' hit song "A Little Bit of Soap
", reaching #52 on the Billboard
pop charts. His first album, A Little Bit of Paul Davis, was released in 1970. In 1974, he recorded his third album, Ride 'Em Cowboy, which entered the Top 40 for the title track. The same song also became a Top 40 Country hit for Juice Newton
in 1984.
Davis had his first American Top 10 single with the ballad "I Go Crazy
," which peaked at #7 in 1978. "I Go Crazy" spent 40 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100
, which at the time set the single-song record for most consecutive weeks on the chart in the rock era. The follow-up, "Sweet Life", also did well, peaking at #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #17 on the Pop chart. The corresponding album Singer of Songs – Teller of Tales was a modest success, peaking at #82 on the Billboard pop album chart. He was the last artist active on the Bang Records
label when it folded in 1981.
After one more album on the Bang label, Paul Davis signed with Arista Records
in 1981 and scored two more Top 15 singles, "Cool Night" (which reached #11 on Billboards Hot 100 and hit #2 on Adult Contemporary in January 1982) and "'65 Love Affair
" (a major Top 10 hit on both Pop and Adult Contemporary charts). His Arista debut album spawned a third hit with Davis' remake of "Love or Let Me Be Lonely
". The single contained a third verse of music which was not included on the album version, and despite its top 40 and AC success, this single version has never been reissued on any CD including the various Paul Davis anthologies that have been released on CD, until Wounded Bird reissued the Best of Paul Davis compilation in 2011. Davis retired from making records for a time, except for two duet singles that went to #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts. The first was in 1986 with Marie Osmond
singing "You're Still New to Me
" while the second, in 1988, was a collaboration with Tanya Tucker
and Paul Overstreet
singing "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love
". Davis also wrote "Meet Me in Montana
," which Paul's friend Dan Seals
and Osmond took to #1 on the Billboard Country chart in 1985, and "Bop"
, a solo #1 Country hit for Seals in early 1986. Through the years, Davis was heavily influenced by technology. He owned numerous synthesizers and spent a great majority of his spare time at his home composing music that he hoped would be used for inclusion of future films. Additionally, Davis was very versatile with sampling and using the Synclavier
& Fairlight CMI
.
Before his death on April 22, 2008 (one day after his 60th birthday), Davis returned to singing and songwriting by recording two songs, "You Ain't Sweet Enough" and "Today." He died from a heart attack
at the Rush Foundation Hospital in Meridian, Mississippi.
on July 29, 1986. He was leaving a hotel on Music Row with a female companion when an unidentified man walked up, demanded his wallet, and shot him in the abdomen.
Davis was an avid golfer.
Country music singer Charly McClain
's song, "Best That Never Was", was specially written and dedicated to Paul Davis on her 1983 album Paradise.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and songwriter, best known for his radio hits and solo career which started worldwide in 1970. His career encompassed soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. Notable songs in his career include 1977's "I Go Crazy
I Go Crazy (Paul Davis song)
"I Go Crazy" is the title of a single released in 1977 by American singer-songwriter Paul Davis. It was the first single he released from his 1977 album Singer of Songs: Teller of Tales, and his second-highest peaking pop hit, peaking at #7 on the Billboard chart in 1978...
", a #7 pop hit which once held the record for the longest chart run on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, as well as the #6 "'65 Love Affair
'65 Love Affair
"65 Love Affair" is a song performed by Paul Davis on his album "Cool Night." Released in 1981, the song hit #6 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1982. It stayed 20 weeks in the chart, and in Billboard-Year End Chart, it placed at No. 39, and on Cashbox at No. 60.This song marked...
", his highest-charting pop hit. In the mid 1980s, he also had two country #1 hits as a guest vocalist on songs by Marie Osmond
Marie Osmond
Olive 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...
and Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker
Tanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
, and wrote singles for other country singers.
Career
Davis was a member of a local group called the Six Soul Survivors around 1966 and later in another group called the Endless Chain. In 1968 he was a writer for Malaco RecordsMalaco Records
Malaco Records is an independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi. Malaco is and has been the home of various major soul, blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, ZZ Hill, Denise LaSalle, Benny Latimore, Dorothy Moore, Little Milton, Shirley Brown, Marvin Sease, and the...
, based in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. He also had a stint with Detroit based group The Spinners, whom he'd produced, written and arranged for.
Ilene Berns
Ilene Berns
Ilene Berns Born Cleveland, Ohio - record company director.Berns worked as a go-go dancer in New York City nightclubs before meeting her husband Bert Berns, the songwriter and record producer and founder of Bang Records...
, widow of Bert Berns
Bert Berns
Bertrand Russell Berns , most commonly known as Bert Berns as well as Bert Russell and Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s...
, signed Davis to Bang Records
Bang Records
Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegün, Nesuhi Ertegün and Jerry Wexler...
in 1969, and in 1970, released a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Jarmels
The Jarmels
The Jarmels are a doo wop/rhythm and blues group officially formed in 1959 in Richmond, Virginia. They were composed of Nathaniel Ruff , Paul Burnett , Ray Smith , Earl Christian , and Tom Eldridge .They met while attending Armstrong High School and while some sang at nearby Mount Olivet Baptist...
' hit song "A Little Bit of Soap
A Little Bit of Soap
"A Little Bit of Soap", written by Bert Berns , was a song, first sung in a bluesy soul style by The Jarmels, who reached #12 with it in September 1961....
", reaching #52 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
pop charts. His first album, A Little Bit of Paul Davis, was released in 1970. In 1974, he recorded his third album, Ride 'Em Cowboy, which entered the Top 40 for the title track. The same song also became a Top 40 Country hit for Juice Newton
Juice Newton
Judith Kay "Juice" Newton is an American Pop music and Country singer, songwriter and guitarist...
in 1984.
Davis had his first American Top 10 single with the ballad "I Go Crazy
I Go Crazy (Paul Davis song)
"I Go Crazy" is the title of a single released in 1977 by American singer-songwriter Paul Davis. It was the first single he released from his 1977 album Singer of Songs: Teller of Tales, and his second-highest peaking pop hit, peaking at #7 on the Billboard chart in 1978...
," which peaked at #7 in 1978. "I Go Crazy" spent 40 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, which at the time set the single-song record for most consecutive weeks on the chart in the rock era. The follow-up, "Sweet Life", also did well, peaking at #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #17 on the Pop chart. The corresponding album Singer of Songs – Teller of Tales was a modest success, peaking at #82 on the Billboard pop album chart. He was the last artist active on the Bang Records
Bang Records
Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegün, Nesuhi Ertegün and Jerry Wexler...
label when it folded in 1981.
After one more album on the Bang label, Paul Davis signed with Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
in 1981 and scored two more Top 15 singles, "Cool Night" (which reached #11 on Billboards Hot 100 and hit #2 on Adult Contemporary in January 1982) and "'65 Love Affair
'65 Love Affair
"65 Love Affair" is a song performed by Paul Davis on his album "Cool Night." Released in 1981, the song hit #6 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1982. It stayed 20 weeks in the chart, and in Billboard-Year End Chart, it placed at No. 39, and on Cashbox at No. 60.This song marked...
" (a major Top 10 hit on both Pop and Adult Contemporary charts). His Arista debut album spawned a third hit with Davis' remake of "Love or Let Me Be Lonely
Love or Let Me Be Lonely
"Love or Let Me Be Lonely" is a pop song recorded by the soul group The Friends of Distinction and released as a single in early 1970. The song was a multi-format success, peaking in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary singles charts and at number 13 on the R&B chart.The...
". The single contained a third verse of music which was not included on the album version, and despite its top 40 and AC success, this single version has never been reissued on any CD including the various Paul Davis anthologies that have been released on CD, until Wounded Bird reissued the Best of Paul Davis compilation in 2011. Davis retired from making records for a time, except for two duet singles that went to #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts. The first was in 1986 with Marie Osmond
Marie Osmond
Olive 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...
singing "You're Still New to Me
You're Still New to Me
"You're Still New to Me" is a 1986 duet by Marie Osmond with Paul Davis. "You're Still New to Me" was written by Davis and Paul Overstreet and was the only collaboration as a duo for Marie Osmond and Paul Davis and went to number one on the country chart. The single was number one for one week...
" while the second, in 1988, was a collaboration with Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker
Tanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
and Paul Overstreet
Paul Overstreet
Paul Lester Overstreet is an American country music singer and songwriter. He recorded 10 studio albums between 1982 and 2005, and charted 16 singles on the Billboard country charts, including two #1 hits...
singing "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love
I Won't Take Less Than Your Love
"I Won't Take Less Than Your Love" is a 1987 single by Tanya Tucker with Paul Davis & Paul Overstreet. The single went to number one for one week and spent fifteen weeks on the country chart....
". Davis also wrote "Meet Me in Montana
Meet Me in Montana
"Meet Me in Montana" is a country music song recorded and made popular by Dan Seals and Marie Osmond. The song was the lead-off single to his 1985 album Won't Be Blue Anymore, and the second single from Marie Osmond's 1985 album There's No Stopping Your Heart."Meet Me in Montana" reached No. 1 on...
," which Paul's friend Dan Seals
Dan Seals
Danny Wayland "Dan" Seals was an American musician. The younger brother of Seals & Crofts member Jim Seals, he first gained fame as the "England Dan" half of the soft rock duo England Dan and John Ford Coley, which charted nine pop and adult contemporary singles between 1976 and 1980, including...
and Osmond took to #1 on the Billboard Country chart in 1985, and "Bop"
Bop (Dan Seals song)
"Bop" is the second single released from Dan Seals' 1985 album Won't Be Blue Anymore. It reached #1 on the Country singles chart in early-1986 - his second number one hit, but his first as a solo artist. It was a major crossover hit as well, peaking at #42 on the US Hot 100, and at #10 on the US...
, a solo #1 Country hit for Seals in early 1986. Through the years, Davis was heavily influenced by technology. He owned numerous synthesizers and spent a great majority of his spare time at his home composing music that he hoped would be used for inclusion of future films. Additionally, Davis was very versatile with sampling and using the Synclavier
Synclavier
The Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
& Fairlight CMI
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
.
Before his death on April 22, 2008 (one day after his 60th birthday), Davis returned to singing and songwriting by recording two songs, "You Ain't Sweet Enough" and "Today." He died from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at the Rush Foundation Hospital in Meridian, Mississippi.
Personal life
Davis survived a shooting in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
on July 29, 1986. He was leaving a hotel on Music Row with a female companion when an unidentified man walked up, demanded his wallet, and shot him in the abdomen.
Davis was an avid golfer.
Country music singer Charly McClain
Charly McClain
Charlotte Denise McClain is an American country music singer, best-known for series of Country hits during the 1980s....
's song, "Best That Never Was", was specially written and dedicated to Paul Davis on her 1983 album Paradise.
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Country | CAN | ||
| 1970 | A Little Bit of Paul Davis | — | — | — |
| 1972 | Paul Davis | — | — | — |
| 1974 | Ride 'Em Cowboy | 148 | 19 | — |
| 1976 | Southern Tracks & Fantasies | — | — | — |
| 1977 | Singer of Songs: Teller of Tales | 82 | — | 77 |
| 1980 | Paul Davis | 173 | — | — |
| 1981 | Cool Night | 52 | — | — |
| 1982 | Best of Paul Davis | — | — | — |
| 1999 | Sweet Life: His Greatest Hit Singles | — | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
US Country | CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 1970 | "A Little Bit of Soap A Little Bit of Soap "A Little Bit of Soap", written by Bert Berns , was a song, first sung in a bluesy soul style by The Jarmels, who reached #12 with it in September 1961.... " |
52 | 27 | — | 60 | — | A Little Bit of Paul Davis |
| "I Just Wanna Keep It Together" | 51 | 34 | — | 38 | — | ||
| "Can't You Find Another Way (Of Doing It)" | 118 | — | — | — | — | Single only | |
| 1973 | "Boogie Woogie Man" | 68 | — | — | — | — | Paul Davis |
| 1974 | "Ride 'Em Cowboy" | 23 | 4 | 47 | 30 | 6 | Ride 'Em Cowboy |
| 1975 | "Keep Our Love Alive" | 90 | — | — | — | — | Single only |
| 1976 | "Thinking of You" | 45 | 31 | — | — | — | Southern Tracks & Fantasies |
| "Superstar" | 35 | 31 | — | 53 | — | ||
| 1977 | "I Go Crazy I Go Crazy (Paul Davis song) "I Go Crazy" is the title of a single released in 1977 by American singer-songwriter Paul Davis. It was the first single he released from his 1977 album Singer of Songs: Teller of Tales, and his second-highest peaking pop hit, peaking at #7 on the Billboard chart in 1978... " |
7 | 25 | — | 4 | — | Singer of Songs - Teller of Tales |
| 1978 | "Sweet Life" | 17 | 7 | 85 | 15 | — | |
| "Darlin" (with Susan Collins) | 51 | — | — | 37 | — | ||
| 1980 | "Do Right" | 23 | 4 | — | 64 | — | Paul Davis |
| "Cry Just a Little" | 78 | 36 | — | — | — | ||
| 1981 | "Cool Night" | 11 | 2 | — | 34 | — | Cool Night |
| 1982 | "'65 Love Affair '65 Love Affair "65 Love Affair" is a song performed by Paul Davis on his album "Cool Night." Released in 1981, the song hit #6 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1982. It stayed 20 weeks in the chart, and in Billboard-Year End Chart, it placed at No. 39, and on Cashbox at No. 60.This song marked... " |
6 | 5 | — | 11 | — | |
| "Love or Let Me Be Lonely Love or Let Me Be Lonely "Love or Let Me Be Lonely" is a pop song recorded by the soul group The Friends of Distinction and released as a single in early 1970. The song was a multi-format success, peaking in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary singles charts and at number 13 on the R&B chart.The... " |
40 | 11 | — | — | — |
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | ||||
| 1986 | "You're Still New to Me You're Still New to Me "You're Still New to Me" is a 1986 duet by Marie Osmond with Paul Davis. "You're Still New to Me" was written by Davis and Paul Overstreet and was the only collaboration as a duo for Marie Osmond and Paul Davis and went to number one on the country chart. The single was number one for one week... " |
Marie Osmond Marie Osmond Olive 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... |
1 | 1 | I Only Wanted You I Only Wanted You I Only Wanted You is the sixth solo studio album released by American country music singer, Marie Osmond. It was Osmond's second album issued on Capitol/Curb Records and was released in 1986.-Background:... |
| 1988 | "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love I Won't Take Less Than Your Love "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love" is a 1987 single by Tanya Tucker with Paul Davis & Paul Overstreet. The single went to number one for one week and spent fifteen weeks on the country chart.... " |
Tanya Tucker Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13... (with Paul Overstreet Paul Overstreet Paul Lester Overstreet is an American country music singer and songwriter. He recorded 10 studio albums between 1982 and 2005, and charted 16 singles on the Billboard country charts, including two #1 hits... ) |
1 | 10 | Love Me Like You Used To Love Me Like You Used To Love Me Like You Used To is a country music album released by Tanya Tucker in 1987. Continuing the success of her preceding comeback album Girls Like Me, the album produced three Billboard Top Ten Country singles, with "If It Don't Come Easy" and the collaboration with Paul Davis and Paul... |
| "Sweet Life" (re-recording) | Marie Osmond | 47 | 55 | All in Love All in Love All in Love is the seventh solo studio album release by American country music singer, Marie Osmond. It was her third album release for Curb/Capitol records and was issued in 1988.- Background :... |
External links
- Official page at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Complete Paul Davis Discography and Career History
- Paul Davis information at AOL Music
- Interview with Paul Davis