Mac Davis
Encyclopedia
Mac Davis is a country music
singer, songwriter
, and actor originally from Lubbock, Texas
who has enjoyed much crossover
success. His early work writing for Elvis Presley produced multiple number one hits (including "Memories", "In The Ghetto", and the latently popular "A Little Less Conversation"), and a subsequent solo career in the late 1970's made him a well-known name in pop music. He has starred in his own variety show, a broadway musical, and various films.
and got his start as an employee of Nancy Sinatra
's company, Boots Enterprises, Inc.. Davis was with Boots for several years in the late '60s. During his time there, he played on many of Sinatra's recordings and she put him in her stage shows. Boots Enterprises was also Davis' publishing company, publishing songs such as "In the Ghetto
", "Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife", "Home," "It's Such a Lonely Time of Year," and "Memories", which were recorded by Elvis Presley
, Nancy Sinatra
and others. Davis left Boots Enterprises, Inc. in 1970 to sign with Columbia Records
, taking his songs with him.
He became known later also as a country singer. Especially during the 1970s, many of his songs scored successfully on the country and popular music charts, including "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me
" (a number one success), "One Hell of a Woman
" (Popular #11), and "Stop and Smell the Roses
" (a #9 Popular hit). During the 1970s, he also was active as an actor, hosting his own variety show and also acting in several movies.
Davis graduated at 16 from Lubbock High School
in Lubbock, Texas. He spent his childhood years with his sister Linda, living and working at the former College Courts, an efficiency apartment complex owned by his father, T.J. Davis, located at the intersection of College Avenue and 5th Street. Davis describes his father, who was divorce
d from Davis' mother, as "very religious, very strict, very stubborn." Though Davis was physically small, he had a penchant for getting into fistfights. "In those days, it was all about football, rodeo and fistfights. Oh, man, I got beat up so much while I was growing up in Lubbock," Davis said in a March 2, 2008, interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
newspaper
. "I was 5 feet, 9 inches, and weighed 125 pounds. I joined Golden Gloves
but didn't do good even in my division." After he finished high school, Davis moved to Atlanta, Georgia
, where his mother lived.
In Atlanta, Davis played rock and roll
music. He also worked for the Vee Jay record company (home to R&B stars such as Gene Chandler
, Jerry Butler
and Dee Clark
) as a regional manager, and later also served as a regional manager for Liberty Records
. In the meantime, Davis was also writing songs. One of the songs he wrote in 1968, called "A Little Less Conversation
" was recorded by Elvis Presley
(and would become a posthumous success for Presley years later). Shortly after, Presley recorded Davis' song "In the Ghetto" in his sessions in Memphis
. According to maverick record producer Jimmy Bowen
, "Ghetto" was originally pitched to Sammy Davis Jr.. Mac, guitar in hand, played the song in a studio, with onlookers such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and other members of the black activist community. Davis, the only Caucasian man in the room at the time would eventually tell Bowen, "I don't know whether to thank ya, or to kill ya." Davis eventually recorded the tune after Presley's version became a success, but it remained unreleased until a campy Rhino Records "Golden Throats" compilation in 1991. The song became a success for Presley and he continued to record more of Davis' material, like "Memories" and "Don't Cry Daddy
". Bobby Goldsboro
also recorded some of Davis's songs, like "Watching Scotty Grow
", which became a number one Adult Contemporary success for Goldsboro in 1971. Other artists that recorded his material included Vikki Carr
, O.C. Smith and Kenny Rogers
and The First Edition
. "I Believe in Music", often considered to be Davis's signature song
, was recorded by several artists (including Marian Love, Louis Jordan
, Perry Como
, Helen Reddy
and Davis himself) before it finally became a success in 1972 for the group Gallery
.
in 1970. His big success came two years later in 1972 when he topped the Country and Pop charts with the success song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
by the R.I.A.A. in September 1972.
Some of Davis's lyrics invoked overtly sexual relationships. "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me" (in which he pleads with a woman not to become too enamored of him because he doesn't want to commit to a full-time relationship with her) was an example, as were other successful songs such as "Naughty Girl" and "Baby Spread Your Love on Me". He wasn't alone; many country songs popular during the 1970s and 1980s featured sexual themes.
During 1974, Davis was awarded the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year award. Some of Davis' other successes included "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a number one Adult Contemporary success in 1974) (Popular #9), "One Hell of a Woman" (Pop #11), and "Burnin' Thing" (Popular #53). At the end of the 1970s, he moved to Casablanca Records
, which was now vending country music and was known primarily for its success with disco
diva Donna Summer
and rockers KISS
. His first success for the company in 1980 was the novelty song "It's Hard To Be Humble" which became his first country music Top 10. He also had another Top 10 song with "Let's Keep It That Way" later in the year. He achieved other successful songs like "Texas In My Rear View Mirror" and "Hooked on Music" which became his biggest country music success in 1981 going to #2. In 1985, he recorded his (to date) last Top Ten country music success with the song "I Never Made Love (Till I Made Love With You)".
on NBC
, The Mac Davis Show. He made his feature film
debut opposite Nick Nolte
in the football film, North Dallas Forty
(1979
) and as a result, was listed as one of 12 "Promising New Actors of 1979" by Screen World magazine.
Davis also starred in the 1981 comedy film "Cheaper to Keep Her", playing a detective for a neurotic feminist attorney.
Davis played Will Rogers
in the Broadway
production of The Will Rogers Follies. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 2000. For his contribution to the recording industry, he has a star symbol on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 7080 Hollywood Blvd.
In 1980, Davis hosted an episode of The Muppet Show
. http://www.kermitage.com/html/epguide/tms/season5/davis.html
In 1998 Davis starred in the sports comedy "Possums" which went on to debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
Davis served as the balladeer for the 2000 telefilm The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood, replacing Don Williams
, who served the part in 1997's The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!, and Waylon Jennings
, who narrated the original Dukes of Hazzard
TV show. Davis was the first balladeer to appear on screen to welcome the audience and provide exposition.
In 1983 Davis appeared in The Sting II
, sequel to The Sting
, as Jake Hooker, a younger relative of Johnny Hooker who was played by Robert Redford in The Sting
.
In 2001, Davis played a fellow Karaoke competitor to Jon Gries's Sunny Holiday in the Polish brother's film Jackpot. In the film, there was a dispute between Sunny's manager and Davis's character about what song to song to sing, the manager (Garrett Morris) suggested Davis's "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" which Davis's character claimed just wasn't him.
From 1999 to 2004, Davis voiced the characters Sheriff Buford (two episodes) and talk radio host, "the Sports Jock" (two episodes), on the animated series King of the Hill
.
Davis also guest starred briefly in the 8 Simple Rules
episode "Let's Keep Going, Part II" in April 2004 and also had a recurring role as Rodney Carrington's father-in-law on the sitcom Rodney
.
and Clint Black
. In 2010, rock band Weezer
featured a song cowritten by Davis on their album Hurley
.
After Casablanca Records closed down, Davis recorded for a short time with MCA Records
in the mid 1980s. In 1989, he gained attention when he collaborated with Dolly Parton
on her White Limozeen
album, co-writing the title track with Parton, and duetting with her on another of the tracks. That same year, he also was on Broadway
, performing in the show The Will Rogers Follies. Mac Davis was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
in June 2006.
Davis is honored by the naming of Mac Davis Lane at Avenue Q in his native Lubbock, which he still visits on occasion. He also has a plaque on the West Texas Walk of Fame, beneath the statue of Buddy Holly
. He currently describes the golf
course as his office.
Marriages:
At 21, he married a Georgian, Fran Cook, and when their son, Joel, was born a year later, he shifted from playing rock bands to learning the music business via Liberty Records' publishing division. The Liberty job got him to Los Angeles and made it easier to "pitch his own tunes" to record producers. "One day Fran decided to do her own thing and she wanted me to do mine." They divorced, and she returned to Atlanta, where she still lives with Joel.
Mac next met Sarah Barg, then 16 and living in his apartment building with her mother. Two years later they were married. "We talked about having a family, but I was waiting for her to grow up," he says. She left him in 1976 for Glen Campbell
and had one child (Dylan) with Campbell, whom she also left shortly after Dylan's birth. "Obviously, I was right," Davis once stated.
In 1980 Davis started to date a young nurse, Lise Gerard. They married in 1982 when she was 24 and subsequently had two children.
Note: These lyrics appear in a Marvin Rainwater song "So You Think You've Got Troubles" from 1957, the flip side of "Gonna Find Me a Bluebird", dated 1957. Not sure if that shows he didn't originate the lyrics.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Rainwater
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080826162348AAGDDsp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tOoN79p1GM
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...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and actor originally from Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
who has enjoyed much crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
success. His early work writing for Elvis Presley produced multiple number one hits (including "Memories", "In The Ghetto", and the latently popular "A Little Less Conversation"), and a subsequent solo career in the late 1970's made him a well-known name in pop music. He has starred in his own variety show, a broadway musical, and various films.
Career as a songwriter
Davis initially became famous as a songwriterSongwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and got his start as an employee of Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
's company, Boots Enterprises, Inc.. Davis was with Boots for several years in the late '60s. During his time there, he played on many of Sinatra's recordings and she put him in her stage shows. Boots Enterprises was also Davis' publishing company, publishing songs such as "In the Ghetto
In the Ghetto
"In the Ghetto" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music in 1969. It was written by Mac Davis and made famous by Elvis Presley who had a major comeback hit with the song in 1969. It was released in 1969 as a 45 rpm single with "Any Day Now" as the flip side...
", "Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife", "Home," "It's Such a Lonely Time of Year," and "Memories", which were recorded by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
and others. Davis left Boots Enterprises, Inc. in 1970 to sign with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, taking his songs with him.
He became known later also as a country singer. Especially during the 1970s, many of his songs scored successfully on the country and popular music charts, including "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me
Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me
"Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" is a hit song by country and pop singer-songwriter Mac Davis. From his breakthrough album of the same name, the song reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts in September 1972, spending three weeks atop each chart...
" (a number one success), "One Hell of a Woman
One Hell of a Woman
"One Hell of a Woman" is a 1974 song by the American singer-songwriter Mac Davis. The song was also written by Davis.Released as a single from his album of the same name the song became Davis' second Top 20 hit on the U.S. pop chart, where it peaked at #11 in the fall of 1974. The song remained in...
" (Popular #11), and "Stop and Smell the Roses
Stop and Smell the Roses (song)
"Stop and Smell the Roses" is the title of a 1974 song by the American singer-songwriter Mac Davis. The song was written by Davis and the noted bandleader and trumpeter Doc Severinsen....
" (a #9 Popular hit). During the 1970s, he also was active as an actor, hosting his own variety show and also acting in several movies.
Lubbock High School
Lubbock High School is a 5A high school serving grades nine to twelve in Lubbock, Texas . Part of the Lubbock Independent School District, the school is known for its academic program and for the fact that it has produced a number of talented musicians, vocalists, businessmen, and scientists over...
in Lubbock, Texas. He spent his childhood years with his sister Linda, living and working at the former College Courts, an efficiency apartment complex owned by his father, T.J. Davis, located at the intersection of College Avenue and 5th Street. Davis describes his father, who was divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d from Davis' mother, as "very religious, very strict, very stubborn." Though Davis was physically small, he had a penchant for getting into fistfights. "In those days, it was all about football, rodeo and fistfights. Oh, man, I got beat up so much while I was growing up in Lubbock," Davis said in a March 2, 2008, interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is a newspaper based in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. It is owned by the Morris Communications Company.-History:The Lubbock Avalanche was founded in 1900 by John James Dillard and Thad Tubbs. According to Dillard, the name "Avalanche" was chosen due to his desire that the...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
. "I was 5 feet, 9 inches, and weighed 125 pounds. I joined Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
but didn't do good even in my division." After he finished high school, Davis moved to Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, where his mother lived.
In Atlanta, Davis played rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music. He also worked for the Vee Jay record company (home to R&B stars such as Gene Chandler
Gene Chandler
Gene Chandler also known as "The Duke of Earl" or simply "The Duke", is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, producer and record executive. He is one of the leading exponents of the 1960s Chicago soul scene...
, Jerry Butler
Jerry Butler (singer)
Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
and Dee Clark
Dee Clark
Dee Clark was an African-American soul singer best known for a string of R&B and pop hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the ballad "Raindrops," which became a million-seller in the United States in 1961....
) as a regional manager, and later also served as a regional manager for Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
. In the meantime, Davis was also writing songs. One of the songs he wrote in 1968, called "A Little Less Conversation
A Little Less Conversation
"A Little Less Conversation" is a song written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange that was originally performed and written for American rock and roll icon Elvis Presley for the 1968 film Live a Little, Love a Little. When the song was released as a single with "Almost in Love" as the b-side, it became...
" was recorded by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
(and would become a posthumous success for Presley years later). Shortly after, Presley recorded Davis' song "In the Ghetto" in his sessions in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. According to maverick record producer Jimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen is an American record producer and former pop music performer.Bowen was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico. He began as a teenage recording star in 1957 with "I'm Stickin' With You," originally the flip side of the hit record "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox, but ultimately a Top 20 recording...
, "Ghetto" was originally pitched to Sammy Davis Jr.. Mac, guitar in hand, played the song in a studio, with onlookers such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and other members of the black activist community. Davis, the only Caucasian man in the room at the time would eventually tell Bowen, "I don't know whether to thank ya, or to kill ya." Davis eventually recorded the tune after Presley's version became a success, but it remained unreleased until a campy Rhino Records "Golden Throats" compilation in 1991. The song became a success for Presley and he continued to record more of Davis' material, like "Memories" and "Don't Cry Daddy
Don't Cry Daddy
"Don't Cry Daddy" was written by Scott Davis and recorded by Elvis Presley on January 15 and 21 1969 and released as a single. The rhythm track was laid down on 15 January and Elvis' vocal overdub on the 21st. Some speculate that it is a consolation song considering that Elvis's father became a...
". Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro is an American country and pop singer-songwriter. He had a string of Pop and Country hits during the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature #1 classic "Honey," which sold well over one million copies in the United States.-Early life:Goldsboro was born in Marianna, Florida...
also recorded some of Davis's songs, like "Watching Scotty Grow
Watching Scotty Grow
"Watching Scotty Grow" is a song written by country music singer-songwriter Mac Davis. Although featured on Davis' 1972 album I Believe in Music, a more famous version of the song was performed by Bobby Goldsboro in 1970 and included on Goldsboro's album We Gotta Start Lovin.-History:Goldsboro had...
", which became a number one Adult Contemporary success for Goldsboro in 1971. Other artists that recorded his material included Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr is an American singer and humanitarian from El Paso, Texas. She has performed in a variety of music genres, including jazz, pop and country, but has enjoyed her greatest success singing in Spanish.-Career:After taking the stage name 'Vikki Carr', she signed with Liberty Records in 1962...
, O.C. Smith and Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
and The First Edition
The First Edition
The First Edition was a country music/rock band. Its stalwart members being Kenny Rogers , Mickey Jones and Terry Williams...
. "I Believe in Music", often considered to be Davis's signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
, was recorded by several artists (including Marian Love, Louis Jordan
Louis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the...
, Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
, Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
and Davis himself) before it finally became a success in 1972 for the group Gallery
Gallery (band)
Gallery was an American soft rock band of the 1970s. It was formed in Detroit, Michigan by Jim Gold. While Gallery did record a number of songs, they are most famous for their 1972 hit single, "Nice to Be with You", written by Gold...
.
Success as a singer
Davis soon decided to pursue a career in country music. He was soon signed to Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1970. His big success came two years later in 1972 when he topped the Country and Pop charts with the success song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the R.I.A.A. in September 1972.
Some of Davis's lyrics invoked overtly sexual relationships. "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me" (in which he pleads with a woman not to become too enamored of him because he doesn't want to commit to a full-time relationship with her) was an example, as were other successful songs such as "Naughty Girl" and "Baby Spread Your Love on Me". He wasn't alone; many country songs popular during the 1970s and 1980s featured sexual themes.
During 1974, Davis was awarded the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year award. Some of Davis' other successes included "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a number one Adult Contemporary success in 1974) (Popular #9), "One Hell of a Woman" (Pop #11), and "Burnin' Thing" (Popular #53). At the end of the 1970s, he moved to Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
, which was now vending country music and was known primarily for its success with disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
diva Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
and rockers KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. His first success for the company in 1980 was the novelty song "It's Hard To Be Humble" which became his first country music Top 10. He also had another Top 10 song with "Let's Keep It That Way" later in the year. He achieved other successful songs like "Texas In My Rear View Mirror" and "Hooked on Music" which became his biggest country music success in 1981 going to #2. In 1985, he recorded his (to date) last Top Ten country music success with the song "I Never Made Love (Till I Made Love With You)".
Acting career
From 1974 to 1976, Davis had his own television variety showVariety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, The Mac Davis Show. He made his feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
debut opposite Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
in the football film, North Dallas Forty
North Dallas Forty (film)
North Dallas Forty is a 1979 dramatic film starring Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, and G. D. Spradlin. It was directed by Ted Kotcheff and based on the best selling novel by Peter Gent: the screenplay was by Kotcheff, Gent, Frank Yablans and Nancy Dowd ....
(1979
1979 in film
The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
) and as a result, was listed as one of 12 "Promising New Actors of 1979" by Screen World magazine.
Davis also starred in the 1981 comedy film "Cheaper to Keep Her", playing a detective for a neurotic feminist attorney.
Davis played Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of The Will Rogers Follies. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is uniquely associated with music community in the city of...
in 2000. For his contribution to the recording industry, he has a star symbol on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 7080 Hollywood Blvd.
In 1980, Davis hosted an episode of The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
. http://www.kermitage.com/html/epguide/tms/season5/davis.html
In 1998 Davis starred in the sports comedy "Possums" which went on to debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
Davis served as the balladeer for the 2000 telefilm The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood, replacing Don Williams
Don Williams
Don Williams , is an American country singer, songwriter and a 2010 inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He grew up in Portland, Texas, and graduated in 1958 from Gregory-Portland High School. After seven years with the folk-pop group Pozo-Seco Singers, he began his solo career in 1971,...
, who served the part in 1997's The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!, and Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, who narrated the original Dukes of Hazzard
Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
TV show. Davis was the first balladeer to appear on screen to welcome the audience and provide exposition.
In 1983 Davis appeared in The Sting II
The Sting II
The Sting II is an 1983 film sequel to The Sting. Directed by Jeremy Kagan and written by David S. Ward , it stars Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis, Teri Garr, Karl Malden and Oliver Reed...
, sequel to The Sting
The Sting
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
, as Jake Hooker, a younger relative of Johnny Hooker who was played by Robert Redford in The Sting
The Sting
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
.
In 2001, Davis played a fellow Karaoke competitor to Jon Gries's Sunny Holiday in the Polish brother's film Jackpot. In the film, there was a dispute between Sunny's manager and Davis's character about what song to song to sing, the manager (Garrett Morris) suggested Davis's "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" which Davis's character claimed just wasn't him.
From 1999 to 2004, Davis voiced the characters Sheriff Buford (two episodes) and talk radio host, "the Sports Jock" (two episodes), on the animated series King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
.
Davis also guest starred briefly in the 8 Simple Rules
8 Simple Rules
8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 17, 2002, to April 15, 2005, with 76 episodes produced over three seasons. It is based on the self-improvement book of the same name. The show starred John Ritter until his death on September 11, 2003...
episode "Let's Keep Going, Part II" in April 2004 and also had a recurring role as Rodney Carrington's father-in-law on the sitcom Rodney
Rodney (TV series)
Rodney is an American television sitcom that was shown on ABC from September 21, 2004, to June 6, 2006. Ric Swartzlander was the creator and executive producer of the comedy series...
.
Decline and comeback
By the mid-1980s, his career in music was declining. His chart success was decreasing rapidly; Davis was one of many country singers who had pop music crossover success in the 1970s and 1980s whose careers slowed down to make way for artists like Garth BrooksGarth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
and Clint Black
Clint Black
Clint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
. In 2010, rock band Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
featured a song cowritten by Davis on their album Hurley
Hurley (album)
Hurley is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock band Weezer, released on September 10, 2010 on Epitaph Records. The album was produced by Rivers Cuomo and Shawn Everett, and, similar to the band's previous studio album, Raditude, features songs co-written with songwriters outside of...
.
After Casablanca Records closed down, Davis recorded for a short time with MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
in the mid 1980s. In 1989, he gained attention when he collaborated with Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
on her White Limozeen
White Limozeen
-Chart performance:-Singles:In anticipation of the album, in April 1989 the lead single, "Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That" was released...
album, co-writing the title track with Parton, and duetting with her on another of the tracks. That same year, he also was on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, performing in the show The Will Rogers Follies. Mac Davis was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
in June 2006.
Davis is honored by the naming of Mac Davis Lane at Avenue Q in his native Lubbock, which he still visits on occasion. He also has a plaque on the West Texas Walk of Fame, beneath the statue of Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
. He currently describes the golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course as his office.
Personal life
He married three times and has three children,: Joel Scott, Noah Claire, and Cody Luke.Marriages:
- Fran Cook (divorced) one son Joel Scott
- Sarah Barg - 1971 - 1976 (divorced) - no children)
- Lise Kristen Gerard - 1982–Present (two children Noah Claire and Cody Luke)
At 21, he married a Georgian, Fran Cook, and when their son, Joel, was born a year later, he shifted from playing rock bands to learning the music business via Liberty Records' publishing division. The Liberty job got him to Los Angeles and made it easier to "pitch his own tunes" to record producers. "One day Fran decided to do her own thing and she wanted me to do mine." They divorced, and she returned to Atlanta, where she still lives with Joel.
Mac next met Sarah Barg, then 16 and living in his apartment building with her mother. Two years later they were married. "We talked about having a family, but I was waiting for her to grow up," he says. She left him in 1976 for Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
and had one child (Dylan) with Campbell, whom she also left shortly after Dylan's birth. "Obviously, I was right," Davis once stated.
In 1980 Davis started to date a young nurse, Lise Gerard. They married in 1982 when she was 24 and subsequently had two children.
Some famous quotes
- "'Don't Cry Daddy' is a pretty sad song. He got to the end of it and it was just real quiet when Elvis says, 'I'm gonna cut that someday for my daddy.' And, by God he did. He lived up to his word."
- Lyric attributed to Davis "I'm gonna put a bar in the back of my car and drive myself to drink" it is said was recorded by the Dirt Band and Davis himself sang just that bar on a mid-1970s appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
Note: These lyrics appear in a Marvin Rainwater song "So You Think You've Got Troubles" from 1957, the flip side of "Gonna Find Me a Bluebird", dated 1957. Not sure if that shows he didn't originate the lyrics.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Rainwater
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080826162348AAGDDsp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tOoN79p1GM
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | 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... |
CAN | |||
| 1970 | Song Painter | 35 | 182 | — | Columbia |
| 1971 | I Believe in Music | — | 160 | — | |
| 1972 | Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me | 27 | 11 | 9 | |
| 1973 | Mac Davis | 19 | 120 | — | |
| 1974 | Stop and Smell the Roses Stop and Smell the Roses Stop and Smell the Roses is the eighth studio album by Ringo Starr, released in 1981 following the twin commercial disasters of Ringo the 4th and Bad Boy .-History:... |
2 | 13 | 10 | |
| 1975 | All the Love in the World All the Love in the World "All the Love in the World" was a 1982 single by Dionne Warwick. The song was written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, and was featured on Warwick's hit album Heartbreaker, produced by Barry Gibb, Karl Richardson, and Albhy Galuten.... |
6 | 21 | 33 | |
| Burnin' Thing | 9 | 64 | — | ||
| 1976 | Forever Lovers | 11 | 156 | — | |
| 1977 | Thunder in the Afternoon | 38 | — | — | |
| 1978 | Fantasy Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common... |
43 | 207 | — | |
| 1979 | Greatest Hits Greatest Hits A Greatest hits album is a compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular music artist or band.Albums entitled Greatest Hits, or similar titles, listed alphabetically by band name or artist's last name, include:-0-9:... |
44 | — | — | |
| 1980 | It's Hard to Be Humble | 3 | 69 | 29 | Casablanca |
| Texas in My Rearview Mirror | 12 | 67 | — | ||
| 1981 | Midnight Crazy | 19 | 174 | — | |
| 1982 | Forty 82 | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | Who's Lovin You | — | — | — | Columbia |
| 1984 | Soft Talk Soft Talk Soft Talk is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne. It was released in 1991 on the Epic label. Two tracks on the album, "The Very First Lasting Love" and "Stop Me" were performed with Les Taylor. The album reached No. 55 on the Billboard Country Albums chart... |
65 | — | — | Mercury |
| 1985 | Till I Made It with You | 48 | — | — | MCA |
| 1986 | Somewhere in America Somewhere in America "Somewhere in America" is a song recorded by the band Survivor. It was the first single ever released by the band, from their 1979 self-titled debut album Survivor. The song peaked at #70 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.-External links:*... |
— | — | — | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
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... |
CAN Country | CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 1970 | "Whoever Finds This, I Love You" | 43 | 53 | 25 | — | 54 | — | Song Painter |
| "I'll Paint You a Song" | 68 | 110 | 14 | — | — | — | ||
| "I Believe in Music" | — | 117 | 25 | — | — | — | I Believe in Music | |
| 1971 | "Beginning to Feel the Pain" | — | 92 | — | — | — | — | Song Painter |
| 1972 | "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" is a hit song by country and pop singer-songwriter Mac Davis. From his breakthrough album of the same name, the song reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts in September 1972, spending three weeks atop each chart... " |
26 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me |
| "Everybody Loves a Love Song" | — | 63 | 13 | — | 51 | 43 | ||
| 1973 | "Dream Me Home" | 47 | 73 | 32 | 46 | 48 | 75 | |
| "Your Side of the Bed" | 36 | 88 | 28 | 19 | — | 19 | Mac Davis | |
| "Kiss and Make It Better" | 29 | 105 | — | 64 | — | — | Stop and Smell the Roses | |
| 1974 | "One Hell of a Woman One Hell of a Woman "One Hell of a Woman" is a 1974 song by the American singer-songwriter Mac Davis. The song was also written by Davis.Released as a single from his album of the same name the song became Davis' second Top 20 hit on the U.S. pop chart, where it peaked at #11 in the fall of 1974. The song remained in... " |
— | 11 | 20 | 42 | 11 | 39 | |
| "Stop and Smell the Roses Stop and Smell the Roses (song) "Stop and Smell the Roses" is the title of a 1974 song by the American singer-songwriter Mac Davis. The song was written by Davis and the noted bandleader and trumpeter Doc Severinsen.... " |
40 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 1975 | "Rock'N Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)" | 29 | 15 | 4 | — | 40 | 14 | All the Love in the World |
| "(If You Add) All the Love in the World" | 69 | 54 | 31 | — | 55 | 31 | ||
| "Burnin' Thing" | 31 | 53 | 20 | — | 47 | 14 | Burnin' Thing | |
| "I Still Love You (You Still Love Me)" | 81 | — | 38 | — | — | 38 | ||
| 1976 | "Forever Lovers" | 17 | 76 | 32 | 8 | — | 17 | Forever Lovers |
| "Every Now and Then" | 34 | — | 32 | — | — | — | ||
| 1977 | "Picking Up the Pieces of My Life" | 42 | — | 25 | 37 | — | 17 | Thunder in the Afternoon |
| 1978 | "Music in My Life" | 92 | — | 22 | — | — | 6 | Fantasy |
| 1980 | "It's Hard to Be Humble" | 10 | 43 | — | 4 | 14 | — | It's Hard to Be Humble |
| "Let's Keep It That Way" | 10 | — | — | 15 | — | — | ||
| "Texas in My Rearview Mirror" | 9 | 51 | — | 40 | — | — | Texas in My Rearview Mirror | |
| 1981 | "Hooked on Music" | 2 | 102 | — | 30 | — | — | |
| "Secrets" | 47 | 76 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "You're My Bestest Friend" | 5 | 106 | — | 26 | — | — | Midnight Crazy | |
| 1982 | "Rodeo Clown" | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | Texas in My Rearview Mirror |
| "The Beer Drinkin' Song" | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | Forty 82 | |
| "Lying Here Lying" | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984 | "Most of All" | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | Soft Talk |
| "Caroline's Still in Georgia" | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "I Never Made Love (Till I Made It with You) I Never Made Love (Till I Made It with You) "I Never Made Love " is a single by American country music artist Mac Davis. It was released in April 1985 as the first single from his album Till I Made It with You. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.-Chart performance:... " |
10 | — | — | 6 | — | — | Till I Made It with You |
| "I Feel the Country Callin' Me" | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986 | "Sexy Young Girl" | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Somewhere in America" | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | Somewhere in America | |
Selected filmography
Mac Davis appeared in the following TV shows and movies:- 1979: North Dallas FortyNorth Dallas FortyNorth Dallas Forty is a 1979 dramatic film starring Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, and G. D. Spradlin. It was directed by Ted Kotcheff and based on the best selling novel by Peter Gent: the screenplay was by Kotcheff, Gent, Frank Yablans and Nancy Dowd ....
- 1979: Kenny Rogers and the American Cowboy
- 1980: Cheaper to Keep Her
- 1983: STING II - Lead role opposite Jackie Gleason
- 1986: "Davy Crockett" - Lead role in this episode of Shelly Duvall's "Tale Tales and Legends" series
- 1995: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
- 1996: Daytona Beach
- 1998: Possums - Lead
- 2000: That 70s Show
- 2004: 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter
- 2004-2005: RodneyRodney (TV series)Rodney is an American television sitcom that was shown on ABC from September 21, 2004, to June 6, 2006. Ric Swartzlander was the creator and executive producer of the comedy series...
- 2008: Beer for My HorsesBeer for My Horses"Beer for My Horses" is the title of a song recorded by American country music artists Toby Keith and Willie Nelson. It was released in April 2003 as the fourth and final single from Keith's 2002 album Unleashed. The song spent six weeks at Number One on the U.S...
External links
- http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/d-g/mac-davis.aspx
- http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C350
- Interview with Mac Davis
- [ Mac Davis biography at Allmusic]