Don Davis (record producer)
| Don Davis | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Donald Davis |
| Born |
October 25, 1938 Detroit, Michigan, US |
| Died | June 5, 2014 (aged 75) West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, US |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter, guitarist, banking executive |
| Years active | Mid-1950s–1980s |
Donald "Don" Davis (October 25, 1938 – June 5, 2014) was an American record producer, songwriter and guitarist, who combined a career in music with one in banking.
Born in Detroit, he started playing music in the mid-1950s and after leaving Central High School formed his own jazz group, the Don Davis Trio, before becoming a session musician. He played guitar for many Detroit record labels, including Golden World and Ric-Tic, as well as on early Motown records such as the hits, "Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong and Mary Wells' "Bye Bye Baby".
He moved on to writing and producing records in Detroit and then joined Stax Records in Memphis, aiming to achieve a fusion of the Stax and Motown sounds. He achieved his first major success as a songwriter and producer in 1968 with Johnnie Taylor’s hit "Who's Making Love", which reached no.1 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and no.5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Davis also played guitar on the track, together with Steve Cropper. He worked with Taylor on many of his hits in the 1970s, including the 1971 R&B no.1 hit "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone", which Davis co-wrote. Later, in 1976, he also co-wrote and produced Taylor's "Disco Lady", which spent four weeks at no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and six weeks on the Billboard R&B chart in the US. It was the first single to be certified platinum by the RIAA.
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