Skeeter Davis
Encyclopedia
Mary Frances Penick better known as Skeeter Davis, was an American country music
singer best known for crossover
pop music songs of the early 1960s. She started out as part of The Davis Sisters
as a teenager in the late 1940s, eventually landing on RCA Records
. In the late '50s, she became a solo star. Her best-known hit was the pop classic "The End of the World" in 1963.
One of the first women to achieve major stardom in the country music field as a solo vocalist, she was an acknowledged influence on Tammy Wynette
and Dolly Parton
and was hailed as an "extraordinary country/pop singer" by The New York Times
music critic Robert Palmer
.
. Because her grandfather thought that she had a lot of energy for a young child, he nicknamed Mary Frances "Skeeter" (slang for mosquito
). In 1947, the Penick family moved to Erlanger, Kentucky
, where Skeeter met Betty Jack Davis
and Wanda Rose Rader at Dixie Heights High School
, becoming instant friends. They sang together through much of high school, and at Decoursey Baptist Church, where Wanda's father was the pastor. They formed a group known as the Davis Sisters (although they were unrelated), and started singing on Detroit
radio station WJR
's program Barnyard Frolics. Wanda was unable to travel, so Skeeter & B.J. began to make a name as a duet. Eventually, the duo were signed by RCA Records in 1951 (earlier demo recordings were eventually released on Fortune Records
after the act's RCA success which has led to some confusion that the Davis Sisters were on the Fortune label before RCA).
", which spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the country charts in 1953, as well as making the Top 20 on the pop charts. The record ranks No. 65 on the Top 100 Country Singles of All Time, according to Billboard
historian Joel Whitburn
.
While "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" was climbing the charts, the Davis Sisters were involved in a major car accident
on August 1, 1953. The crash killed Betty Jack Davis and left Skeeter with severe injuries. After the accident, Skeeter and Betty Jack's sister Georgia continued as the Davis Sisters although none of their records were major hits. Skeeter decided to retire from the music industry in 1956 and get married, ending the duet.
and she hooked up again with RCA Records
, this time working with guitarist
and record producer
Chet Atkins
. That year, Davis recorded "Lost to a Geisha Girl", an answer song
to Hank Locklin
's hit "Geisha Girl", which reached the country Top 15 and became her first solo hit. Atkins worked with Davis as a guitarist on all of these sessions. At Davis' suggestion, Atkins frequently multi-tracked Davis' voice for harmony vocals to resemble the sound of the Davis Sisters. This echo can be found on several of her early solo hits, such as "Am I That Easy to Forget
".
Davis had a Top 5 country hit, "Set Him Free", in 1959, as well as another Top 20 hit called "Homebreaker". She also joined the Grand Ole Opry
that year, and was nominated for a Grammy Award
for "Set Him Free", becoming the first female country singer to be nominated for a Grammy.
From 1960 to 1962, Davis had top ten hits with the songs "(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too", "My Last Date (With You)", "Where I Ought to Be" and "Optimistic". "(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too" in 1960 was her first entrance as a solo onto the pop charts
. The song went all the way to the Top 40, unheard of for a female country singer at the time. In 1961, she scored a second pop hit with a lyric version (written by Skeeter) of Floyd Cramer
's instrumental country pop
smash "Last Date
" called "My Last Date (With You)" which did even better making the Top 30 on the pop charts. Both of these songs did exceptionally well on the country
charts, peaking at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively.
In 1963, Davis achieved her biggest success with country pop crossover hit "The End of the World". The song just missed topping the country and pop charts that year; however, it did top the adult contemporary charts. The record was also a surprise top five hit on the rhythm and blues
charts, making Davis one of the very few Caucasian female singers to have a top ten hit in that market. The single sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. "The End of the World" soon became Davis' signature song. Davis achieved one other country-pop hit with the Carole King
-penned "I Can't Stay Mad At You", which peaked at No. 7 on the pop charts and No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart in 1963. She made several appearances on the pop music show American Bandstand
in the early 1960s and a decade later was one of the first country artists to appear on The Midnight Special
.
Davis received five Grammy Award
nominations, including four for Best Female Country Vocal Performance
: 1964 ("He Says the Same Things to Me"), 1964; ("Sunglasses"), 1965; ("What Does It Take"), 1967, and "One Tin Soldier
"), 1972. Davis was also an accomplished songwriter, penning almost 70 songs and earning two BMI
awards for "Set Him Free" and "My Last Date With You", the latter also recorded by Ann-Margret
, Pat Boone
, Kay Starr
, Joni James
, and several others in addition to Davis' original hit version. Deborah Harry
recorded a remake of Davis' version in 1993 featuring Michael Stipe
, a long-time Davis fan. (Conway Twitty
wrote new lyrics for the instrumental in 1972 as "Lost Her Love (On Our Last Date), which reached No. 1 on the country chart as did Emmylou Harris
's remake of Twitty's version in 1983 retitled "Lost His Love (On Our Last Date)".)
Davis' success continued with "I'm Saving My Love" and 1964's Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now
, an updated cover a 1956 hit by Patience and Prudence
). Both made the Top 10 on the country charts and cracked the Billboard Top 50 pop charts, though the success of "Gonna Get" was likely hampered by another remake of the song by vocalist Tracey Dey
simultaneously climbing the charts to peak slightly lower than Davis' version. Later pop efforts, like "Let Me Get Close to You" in July 1964, missed making the Hot 100, reflecting the changing nature of pop styles due to the ongoing British Invasion
but Davis continued a successful run on the country charts.
In 1965, she recorded a duet with Bobby Bare
called "A Dear John Letter
", which just missed the country Top 10 and received light pop action. (The best-known version of the song had been recorded originally by Jean Shepard
and Ferlin Husky
in 1953.) Davis also recorded quite a few albums during this time, including two tribute albums I Love Flatt and Scruggs and Skeeter Davis Sings Buddy Holly
. In 1967, Davis was back in the top ten with "What Does It Take? (To Keep a Man Like You Satisfied)". Davis only achieved two other major country hits the rest of the decade, "Fuel to the Flame" (written by Dolly Parton
, whom Davis paid tribute to with an album called Skeeter Sings Dolly in 1972), and "There's a Fool Born Every Minute". Other singles were minor hits, but she released many albums.
with "Your Husband, My Wife". The following year, she had a hit with the autobiographical "Bus Fare To Kentucky". Subsequently, however, her chart success began to fade. Singles such as "It's Hard to Be a Woman" and "Love Takes a Lot of My Time" failed to crack the country Top 40. "One Tin Soldier" did not get much attention from country radio but was nominated for a Grammy as Best Female Country Vocal. The record was a major success in Canada, however, peaking at No. 2 on their easy listening chart and No. 4 country. In the 1970s, she began regularly touring foreign countries such as Barbados
, Singapore
, and Sweden
, where she was among the most popular entertainers of any field. In 1973, she had a brief comeback with her Top 20 hit, "I Can't Believe That It's All Over".
In 1973 during a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, Davis dedicated a gospel song to street evangelists arrested by Nashville police. The country was highly divided during these last days of the Nixon administration, and The Grand Ole Opry, being owned by National Life and Accident Insurance Company, had conservative management. For her "political" commentary, Davis was suspended from the Opry. In 1974, the show moved from 2,300-seat Ryman Auditorium to the new Grand Ole Opry House, a 4,400-seat auditorium. After a 15-month exile, Davis was reinstated as an Opry member perhaps due to the frequent requests from fans and some of her fellow Opry stars such as Jean Shepard
and Teddy Wilburn. Despite losing several bookings during that period, Davis remained active by singing with a number of religious ministries and spent an extensive period evangelizing in Africa were she was royally treated.
Davis returned to the recording studio in 1976 with a brief stint on Mercury Records
which produced two single releases, including her last song to make the national charts, 1976's "I Love Us". In 1978, she recorded the first of several albums for minor record labels which she would do on occasion into the 1990s.
in 1960, divorcing in 1964. In 1985, Davis made a solid comeback with the album She Sings, They Play, with the band NRBQ
. In 1987, she married NRBQ's bassist Joey Spampinato
. They were divorced in 1996.
, from the early 1960s until the time of her death in 2004. Her autobiography, Bus Fare to Kentucky (named after a 1971 Davis hit), was published in 1993. In 1998 she wrote a children's book, The Christmas Note, with Cathie Pelletier
; 2000 her childhood, it received praise from a number of authors, including Lee Smith
, Rebecca Wells
, and Terry Kay
.
Davis continued to perform frequently throughout much of the 1990s and into 2000. Quite a bit of her touring during the 1980s and 1990s was in international markets such as Barbados
and Singapore
where she remained a pop superstar. In 2001 she became incapacitated by the breast cancer
that would claim her life. While Davis remained a member of the Grand Ole Opry until her death, she last appeared there in 2002. She died of breast cancer in a Nashville, Tennessee
, hospice at the age of 72, on September 19, 2004.
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 best known for 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...
pop music songs of the early 1960s. She started out as part of The Davis Sisters
The Davis Sisters (country)
The Davis Sisters were an American country music duo consisting of two unrelated singers, Skeeter Davis and Betty Jack Davis. One of the original female country groups, they are best known for their 1953 No...
as a teenager in the late 1940s, eventually landing on RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. In the late '50s, she became a solo star. Her best-known hit was the pop classic "The End of the World" in 1963.
One of the first women to achieve major stardom in the country music field as a solo vocalist, she was an acknowledged influence on Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
and 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...
and was hailed as an "extraordinary country/pop singer" by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
music critic Robert Palmer
Robert Palmer (author/producer)
Robert Franklin Palmer Jr. was a 20th century American writer, musicologist, clarinetist, saxophonist, and blues producer...
.
Early life
Davis was the first of seven children born to William and Punzie Penick, in Dry Ridge, KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Because her grandfather thought that she had a lot of energy for a young child, he nicknamed Mary Frances "Skeeter" (slang for mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
). In 1947, the Penick family moved to Erlanger, Kentucky
Erlanger, Kentucky
Erlanger is a city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,676 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Erlanger is located at ....
, where Skeeter met Betty Jack Davis
Betty Jack Davis
Betty Jack Davis was an American country music singer who was one half of the duet The Davis Sisters with Skeeter Davis, who was not related.-Biography:...
and Wanda Rose Rader at Dixie Heights High School
Dixie Heights High School
Dixie Heights High School is a 5-A high school located at 3010 Dixie Highway in Edgewood, Kentucky.-History:The school was built by the Works Progress Administration. It opened for classes in 1936 and was dedicated by Eleanor Roosevelt. The main building is nearly identical in construction and...
, becoming instant friends. They sang together through much of high school, and at Decoursey Baptist Church, where Wanda's father was the pastor. They formed a group known as the Davis Sisters (although they were unrelated), and started singing on Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
radio station WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
's program Barnyard Frolics. Wanda was unable to travel, so Skeeter & B.J. began to make a name as a duet. Eventually, the duo were signed by RCA Records in 1951 (earlier demo recordings were eventually released on Fortune Records
Fortune Records
Fortune Records was a family operated, independent record label located in Detroit, Michigan from 1946 to 1995. The label owners were Jack and Devora Brown, their son Sheldon Brown recorded for the label...
after the act's RCA success which has led to some confusion that the Davis Sisters were on the Fortune label before RCA).
Rise to fame
RCA Records producer Steve Sholes liked the Davis Sisters' harmonies and offered the duo a recording contract in 1953. Their most successful release was "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever KnowI Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know
"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" was a number one country music single for The Davis Sisters in 1953. The song, written by Cecil Null, was the first hit for the duo of Skeeter Davis and Betty Jack Davis and their only one as Betty Jack was killed in an automobile accident the week the record...
", which spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the country charts in 1953, as well as making the Top 20 on the pop charts. The record ranks No. 65 on the Top 100 Country Singles of All Time, according to 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...
historian Joel Whitburn
Joel Whitburn
Joel Carver Whitburn is an American author and music historian.Whitburn founded Record Research Inc. in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, in 1970, and put together a team of researchers to examine in detail all of Billboards music and video charts...
.
While "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" was climbing the charts, the Davis Sisters were involved in a major car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
on August 1, 1953. The crash killed Betty Jack Davis and left Skeeter with severe injuries. After the accident, Skeeter and Betty Jack's sister Georgia continued as the Davis Sisters although none of their records were major hits. Skeeter decided to retire from the music industry in 1956 and get married, ending the duet.
1960s
Davis decided to go back into country music as a solo act in 1958. She began touring with Ernest TubbErnest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb , nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" , marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music...
and she hooked up again with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, this time working with guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
. That year, Davis recorded "Lost to a Geisha Girl", an answer song
Answer song
An answer song is, as the name suggests, a song made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. It is also known as a response song. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s through 1950s...
to Hank Locklin
Hank Locklin
Lawrence Hankins Locklin , better known as Hank Locklin, was an American country music singer-songwriter...
's hit "Geisha Girl", which reached the country Top 15 and became her first solo hit. Atkins worked with Davis as a guitarist on all of these sessions. At Davis' suggestion, Atkins frequently multi-tracked Davis' voice for harmony vocals to resemble the sound of the Davis Sisters. This echo can be found on several of her early solo hits, such as "Am I That Easy to Forget
Am I That Easy to Forget
"Am I That Easy to Forget" is the title of a popular song written by country music singer Carl Belew and W.S. Stevenson and published in 1958. Belew recorded his song in Nashville on December 17, 1958, and released the single in March 1959, where it reached number nine on the U.S. country music chart...
".
Davis had a Top 5 country hit, "Set Him Free", in 1959, as well as another Top 20 hit called "Homebreaker". She also joined the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
that year, and was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Set Him Free", becoming the first female country singer to be nominated for a Grammy.
From 1960 to 1962, Davis had top ten hits with the songs "(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too", "My Last Date (With You)", "Where I Ought to Be" and "Optimistic". "(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too" in 1960 was her first entrance as a solo onto the pop charts
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...
. The song went all the way to the Top 40, unheard of for a female country singer at the time. In 1961, she scored a second pop hit with a lyric version (written by Skeeter) of Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville sound." He popularized the "slip note" piano style where an out-of-tune note slides effortlessly into the correct note...
's instrumental country pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
smash "Last Date
Last Date (song)
"Last Date" is a 1960 instrumental written and performed by Floyd Cramer. "Last Date" peaked at number 11 on the country chart and peaked at number two on the Hot 100.-Chart performance:-Cover versions:...
" called "My Last Date (With You)" which did even better making the Top 30 on the pop charts. Both of these songs did exceptionally well on the 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...
charts, peaking at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively.
In 1963, Davis achieved her biggest success with country pop crossover hit "The End of the World". The song just missed topping the country and pop charts that year; however, it did top the adult contemporary charts. The record was also a surprise top five hit on the rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
charts, making Davis one of the very few Caucasian female singers to have a top ten hit in that market. The single 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,...
. "The End of the World" soon became Davis' signature song. Davis achieved one other country-pop hit with the Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
-penned "I Can't Stay Mad At You", which peaked at No. 7 on the pop charts and No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart in 1963. She made several appearances on the pop music show American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
in the early 1960s and a decade later was one of the first country artists to appear on The Midnight Special
The Midnight Special (TV series)
The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981...
.
Davis received five Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations, including four for Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female...
: 1964 ("He Says the Same Things to Me"), 1964; ("Sunglasses"), 1965; ("What Does It Take"), 1967, and "One Tin Soldier
One Tin Soldier
"One Tin Soldier" is a 1960s era anti-war song written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. The Canadian pop group Original Caste first recorded the song in 1969. The track went to No. 6 on the RPM Magazine charts and hit the No.1 position on Canada's most influential radio chain, CHUM-AM, in Canada...
"), 1972. Davis was also an accomplished songwriter, penning almost 70 songs and earning two BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
awards for "Set Him Free" and "My Last Date With You", the latter also recorded by Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
, Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
, Kay Starr
Kay Starr
Kay Starr is an American pop and jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1940s and 50s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz"....
, Joni James
Joni James
Joni James is an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards.-Biography:...
, and several others in addition to Davis' original hit version. Deborah Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
recorded a remake of Davis' version in 1993 featuring Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
, a long-time Davis fan. (Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
wrote new lyrics for the instrumental in 1972 as "Lost Her Love (On Our Last Date), which reached No. 1 on the country chart as did Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
's remake of Twitty's version in 1983 retitled "Lost His Love (On Our Last Date)".)
Davis' success continued with "I'm Saving My Love" and 1964's Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now
Gonna Get Along without Ya Now
"Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now" is a popular song written by Milton Kellem, and published in 1951. Originally written in English, has been done in several styles and tempos....
, an updated cover a 1956 hit by Patience and Prudence
Patience and Prudence
Patience and Prudence McIntyre, known professionally as Patience and Prudence, were two sisters who were a young singing act in the 1950s.-Career:...
). Both made the Top 10 on the country charts and cracked the Billboard Top 50 pop charts, though the success of "Gonna Get" was likely hampered by another remake of the song by vocalist Tracey Dey
Tracey Dey
Tracey Dey was an American girl group pop singer of the early and mid-1960s. Born Nora Ferrari, and hailing from Yonkers, New York, she was attending college at Fordham University when producer Bob Crewe became aware of a demo tape she had recorded.-Career:...
simultaneously climbing the charts to peak slightly lower than Davis' version. Later pop efforts, like "Let Me Get Close to You" in July 1964, missed making the Hot 100, reflecting the changing nature of pop styles due to the ongoing British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
but Davis continued a successful run on the country charts.
In 1965, she recorded a duet with Bobby Bare
Bobby Bare
Robert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
called "A Dear John Letter
A Dear John Letter
"A Dear John Letter", or "Dear John" is the name of a popular country music song. It was popularized by Ferlin Husky and Jean Shepard, and was a crossover country-pop hit in 1953....
", which just missed the country Top 10 and received light pop action. (The best-known version of the song had been recorded originally by Jean Shepard
Jean Shepard
Ollie Imogene Shepard , better known as Jean Shepard, is an American honky tonk singer-songwriter who was a pioneer for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which reached the #1 spot...
and Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Eugene Husky was an early American country music singer who was equally adept at the genres of traditional honky honk, ballads, spoken recitations, and rockabilly pop tunes...
in 1953.) Davis also recorded quite a few albums during this time, including two tribute albums I Love Flatt and Scruggs and Skeeter Davis Sings Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
. In 1967, Davis was back in the top ten with "What Does It Take? (To Keep a Man Like You Satisfied)". Davis only achieved two other major country hits the rest of the decade, "Fuel to the Flame" (written by 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...
, whom Davis paid tribute to with an album called Skeeter Sings Dolly in 1972), and "There's a Fool Born Every Minute". Other singles were minor hits, but she released many albums.
Decline and controversy
In 1970, Davis had another Top 10 hit with "I'm a Lover (Not a Fighter)" and another duet with Bobby BareBobby Bare
Robert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
with "Your Husband, My Wife". The following year, she had a hit with the autobiographical "Bus Fare To Kentucky". Subsequently, however, her chart success began to fade. Singles such as "It's Hard to Be a Woman" and "Love Takes a Lot of My Time" failed to crack the country Top 40. "One Tin Soldier" did not get much attention from country radio but was nominated for a Grammy as Best Female Country Vocal. The record was a major success in Canada, however, peaking at No. 2 on their easy listening chart and No. 4 country. In the 1970s, she began regularly touring foreign countries such as Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where she was among the most popular entertainers of any field. In 1973, she had a brief comeback with her Top 20 hit, "I Can't Believe That It's All Over".
In 1973 during a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, Davis dedicated a gospel song to street evangelists arrested by Nashville police. The country was highly divided during these last days of the Nixon administration, and The Grand Ole Opry, being owned by National Life and Accident Insurance Company, had conservative management. For her "political" commentary, Davis was suspended from the Opry. In 1974, the show moved from 2,300-seat Ryman Auditorium to the new Grand Ole Opry House, a 4,400-seat auditorium. After a 15-month exile, Davis was reinstated as an Opry member perhaps due to the frequent requests from fans and some of her fellow Opry stars such as Jean Shepard
Jean Shepard
Ollie Imogene Shepard , better known as Jean Shepard, is an American honky tonk singer-songwriter who was a pioneer for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which reached the #1 spot...
and Teddy Wilburn. Despite losing several bookings during that period, Davis remained active by singing with a number of religious ministries and spent an extensive period evangelizing in Africa were she was royally treated.
Davis returned to the recording studio in 1976 with a brief stint on Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
which produced two single releases, including her last song to make the national charts, 1976's "I Love Us". In 1978, she recorded the first of several albums for minor record labels which she would do on occasion into the 1990s.
Personal life
Davis was married three times, first to Kenneth Depew. She later married WSM disc jockey Ralph EmeryRalph Emery
Walter Ralph Emery is a country music disc jockey and television host from Nashville, Tennessee. He gained national fame hosting the syndicated television music series, Pop! Goes the Country, from 1974 to 1980 and the nightly Nashville Network television program, Nashville Now, from 1983 to 1993...
in 1960, divorcing in 1964. In 1985, Davis made a solid comeback with the album She Sings, They Play, with the band NRBQ
NRBQ
NRBQ is an American rock band founded in 1967. It is known for its live performances, containing a high degree of spontaneity and levity, and blending rock, pop, jazz, blues and Tin Pan Alley styles. Its best known line-up is the 1974–1994 quartet of pianist Terry Adams, bassist Joey Spampinato,...
. In 1987, she married NRBQ's bassist Joey Spampinato
Joey Spampinato
Joey Spampinato was a founding member and bass player of NRBQ. He was also one of the band's lead singers and chief songwriters. Before NRBQ he played in several bands, including The Seven of Us, which in 1967 while in Miami, Florida, met another band, The Merseybeats USA. The bands merged to form...
. They were divorced in 1996.
Later years and death
Davis lived in Brentwood, TennesseeBrentwood, Tennessee
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,445 people, 7,693 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.63% European American, 1.89% African American,...
, from the early 1960s until the time of her death in 2004. Her autobiography, Bus Fare to Kentucky (named after a 1971 Davis hit), was published in 1993. In 1998 she wrote a children's book, The Christmas Note, with Cathie Pelletier
Cathie Pelletier
Cathie Pelletier is an award-winning novelist and song-writer who was born and raised in Allagash, a rural town in Aroostook County, Maine.- Biography :...
; 2000 her childhood, it received praise from a number of authors, including Lee Smith
Lee Smith (author)
Lee Smith is an American fiction author who typically incorporates much of her home roots in the Southeastern United States in her works of literature. She has received many writing awards, such as the O. Henry Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Fiction, and the North...
, Rebecca Wells
Rebecca Wells
Rebecca Wells is an American author and theatre director, who wrote the Ya-Ya Sisterhood series of books, which includes Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Little Altars Everywhere, and Ya-Yas in Bloom.-Background:...
, and Terry Kay
Terry Kay
Terry Kay, born 10 February 1938, in Royston, Georgia, is a novelist. Perhaps his most well-known book is To Dance with the White Dog, which was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie starring Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy....
.
Davis continued to perform frequently throughout much of the 1990s and into 2000. Quite a bit of her touring during the 1980s and 1990s was in international markets such as Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
where she remained a pop superstar. In 2001 she became incapacitated by the breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
that would claim her life. While Davis remained a member of the Grand Ole Opry until her death, she last appeared there in 2002. She died of breast cancer in a Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, 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...
, hospice at the age of 72, on September 19, 2004.
External links
- Skeeter Davis Unofficial Site. Retrieved Feb. 26, 2007.
- Annotated Discography