Paul Davis (singer)
| Paul Davis | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Paul Lavon Davis |
| Born |
April 21, 1948 Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | April 22, 2008 (aged 60) Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | Blue-eyed soul, country, pop rock, soft rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, piano |
| Years active | 1958-1987 (retired), 1988 |
| Labels | Bang, Arista |
| Associated acts | Tanya Tucker, Paul Overstreet, Marie Osmond, Dan Seals |
Paul Lavon Davis (April 21, 1948 – April 22, 2008) 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. Typically, the slower the tempo of a Davis record, the longer it took to reach its peak position. His most successful songs are 1977's "I Go Crazy", a #7 pop hit which once held the record for the longest chart run on the Billboard Hot 100, and 1982's "'65 Love Affair", which at #6 is his highest-charting single. In the mid-1980s, he also had two country #1 hits as a guest vocalist on songs by Marie Osmond and Tanya Tucker.
Paul 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 Records, based in Jackson, Mississippi. Ilene Berns, widow of Bert Berns, signed Davis to Bang Records in 1969, and in 1970, released a cover version of The Jarmels' hit "A Little Bit of Soap", reaching #52 on the Billboard pop chart. His first album, A Little Bit of Paul Davis, was released in 1970. In 1974, he recorded his third album, Ride 'Em Cowboy, and the title track, his first top 40 single, peaked at #23 on January 18, 1975. (The same song became a Top 40 Country hit for Juice Newton in 1984.) Davis also reached #35 in September 1976 with "Superstar", a tribute song not related to any of the 1971 hits by that name.
Davis had his first American Top 10 single with the ballad "I Go Crazy," which after 30 weeks on the Hot 100 peaked at #7 on March 18, 1978. "I Go Crazy" spent 40 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, which at the time set the record for most weeks on the chart. The follow-up, "Sweet Life", also did well, peaking at #17. He peaked at #23 with the gospel-tinged "Do Right" on May 17, 1980. He was active on Bang Records when the label folded in the early 1980s.
...
Wikipedia