Wikipedia

Skeeter Davis

Skeeter Davis(bornMary Frances Penick;December 30, 1931 – September 19, 2004) was an Americancountry musicsinger and songwriter who sangcrossoverpop music songs including 1962's "The End of the World".She started out as part ofthe Davis Sistersas a teenager in the late 1940s, eventually landing onRCA Victor.In the late 1950s, she became a solo star.

Skeeter Davis
Davis performing in 1972
Davis performing in 1972
Background information
Birth nameMary Frances Penick
Born(1931-12-30)December 30, 1931
Dry Ridge, Kentucky,U.S.
DiedSeptember 19, 2004(2004-09-19)(aged 72)
Nashville, Tennessee,U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1947–2002
Labels
Formerly ofThe Davis Sisters
Spouses
Kenneth DePew
​
​
(m.1956;div.1959)​
​
​
(m.1960;div.1964)​
​
​
(m.1987;div.1996)​

One of the first women to achieve major stardom in the country music field as a solo vocalist, she was an acknowledged influence onTammy WynetteandDolly Partonand was hailed as an "extraordinary country/pop singer" byThe New York Timesmusic criticRobert Palmer.[1]

Early life

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Davis was born Mary Frances Penick on December 30, 1931,[2]the first of seven children born to farmer William Lee and Sarah Rachel Penick (née Roberts), inGlencoe, Kentucky.[a]Because her grandfather thought she had a lot of energy for a young child, he nicknamed Mary Frances "Skeeter" (slang formosquito), a name she carried for the rest of her life.[4]

Davis in a school photo, at the age of ten

When Davis was atoddler,her great-uncle was convicted of murdering her maternal grandfather (his brother) inIndiana.[5]After this incident, Davis recalled that her mother became a "bitterly depressed woman".[6]Throughout her childhood, Davis's mother made multiplesuicideattempts, several of which Davis herself prevented from being carried out: "I once slapped a bottle ofCloroxshe was drinking out of her mouth and sat on her hands to keep her from reaching for a butcher knife, "she recalled.[7]On one occasion, her mother attempted to leap from the family's apartment window with Davis and her infant brother in her arms.[7]Her relationship with her mother remained strained throughout much of her life, and by Davis's account, she "couldn't seem to win my mother's respect and affection, [so] I turned my attention toward my daddy."[8]

In the mid-1930s, the Penick family relocated toCincinnati,Ohio, where they remained for several years before returning to Dry Ridge.[9]They later moved toErlanger, Kentucky,in 1947. Davis was raised aProtestant,attendingDisciples of Christchurches.[10]As an adolescent, Davis was inspired by the music ofBetty Huttonand also developed interest in musicals, memorizing songs from films such asStage Door Canteen(1943) andI'll Be Seeing You(1944).[11]She would sometimes stage routines in her backyard, dancing, singing, and tellingghost storiesto neighborhood children.[12]When Davis was in seventh grade, her father relocated toOak Ridge, Tennessee,for work.[13]She and her siblings remained in the care of their mother who, during this time, became analcoholic.[14]In the summer of 1948, Davis and her family relocated toCovington, Kentucky,where her father was working as an electrician and moved into a house owned by theVilla Madonna Academy,run byBenedictine nuns.[15]Davis became fascinated by the sisters, and for a time considered becoming a nun.[16]

While attendingDixie Heights High Schoolin Erlanger, Skeeter met Betty Jack Davis, and the two became close friends, bonding over their love of music.[17]They began singing songs and playingguitartogether during breaks at school, which drew attention from their classmates,[18]and they performed in several school talent shows.[19]On a trip to theGrand Ole Opry,the two convinced a stage manager to allow them backstage, where they metHank WilliamsandChet Atkins.[20]

Career

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1948–1956: The Davis Sisters; rise to fame

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Main article:The Davis Sisters (country band)

During her junior year of high school, Skeeter and Betty Jack Davis won a localyodelingcontest, whose prize was a time slot singing on a local daytime television show.[21]The two were billed as theDavis Sisters,with Skeeter adopting Betty Jack's last name, despite their being unrelated.[22]Their appearance on the local program led to them receiving singing opportunities on theDetroitradio stationWJR's programBarnyard Frolics.[23]After graduating from high school in 1949, Davis relocated to Detroit with Betty Jack, where they completed demonstration recordings forFortune Records;among these were the song "Jealous Love", which was released as a single in 1953.[24]

RCA VictorproducerSteve Sholesheard their demos and was impressed by their harmonies. In the spring of 1953, Skeeter and Betty Jack met with Sholes at the RCA headquarters inNew York City,who offered them a recording contract.[25]After signing the contract, they left New York to begin recording material inNashville, Tennessee.[26]On May 23, 1953, they recorded "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know",a song that had previously been recorded bySonny James.[27]The Davis Sisters toured regionally to support the single on live broadcast radio programs, though Davis recalled that both "were so insecure and uninformed about the [music] business."[28]The single was a significant success, spending eight weeks at number one on the country charts in 1953,[29]as well as making the top 20 on the pop charts. The record ranks number 65 on the Top 100 Country Singles of All Time, according toBillboardhistorianJoel Whitburn.

On August 1, 1953, the Davis Sisters performed on theWWVAevening show inWheeling, West Virginia.[30]After midnight, the two left Wheeling en route back to Covington. Around 7:00 am on August 2, near Cincinnati, a passing motorist fell asleep at the wheel, crashing head-on with the car in which Skeeter and Betty Jack Davis were riding.[31]Betty Jack was killed in the collision, while Skeeter sustained serious head injuries.[31][32]The driver of the car also survived.[33]Newspaper bulletins at the time erroneously reported that both the Davis Sisters had been pronounced dead at Our Lady of Sorrow Hospital in Cincinnati.[34]

Following the accident, Davis moved in with Betty Jack's mother, Ollie, while recovering from her injuries. She recounted in her autobiography that Ollie "took advantage of this tragic situation to suit her own ends," alleging that she had kept Skeeter sedated with drugs administered from a local dentist and sequestered her in the house, where she repeatedly played the girls' records.[35]Once Skeeter recovered, Ollie could "hardly wait for her chance to re-create the Davis Sisters," suggesting that Betty Jack's younger sister, Georgia, take her place in the singing duo.[36]Davis reluctantly agreed, and six months after the accident, she resumed singing in the duo with Georgia Davis.[37]In her autobiography, she wrote that she felt she had beenbrainwashedby Ollie and coerced into resuming the musical duo.[38]

Between 1954 and 1956, Skeeter and Georgia released a total of nine singles for RCA as the Davis Sisters, which they recorded in New York City andChicago,and toured the United States as a part of the RCA Caravan of the Stars alongsideMinnie Pearl,Hawkshaw Hawkins,and Chet Atkins, among others.[39]The singles recorded with Georgia were notably less successful than the duo's former material, with low chart positions, though Davis felt that "the material was good."[39]The two held a tribute performance for Betty Jack at the Grand Ole Opry in 1954.[40]In 1955, the Davis Sisters were booked for a regional tour alongsideHank Snow,The Carter Sisters(minusJune), andElvis Presley.[41]Davis recounted her friendship with Presley in her autobiography.[42]The Davis Sisters formally disbanded in 1956, shortly after Davis's first marriage to Kenneth DePew.[43]

1957–1962: Early solo career

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Davis in a publicity photoc.1960

In the late 1950s during her marriage to DePew, Davis suffered fromdepressionand "harbored a death wish" over the grief of Betty Jack's death as well as her "contrived" marriage.[44]She resumed performing as a solo act, touring withErnest Tubb,and co-wrote and recorded the song "Set Him Free"for RCA, produced by Chet Atkins.[45]The song earned Davis aGrammy Awardnomination for best country recording.[45]Sometime during this period,c.1958, Davis and DePew were divorced, and she relocated to Nashville.[46]The same year, Davis recorded "Lost to a Geisha Girl",ananswer songtoHank Locklin's hit "Geisha Girl", which reached the country number 15 and became her first solo hit.[47]Atkins worked with Davis as a guitarist on all of these sessions. At Davis's suggestion, Atkins frequently multiple-tracked Davis's voice for harmony vocals to resemble the sound of the Davis Sisters.[48]This echo can be found on several of her early solo hits, such as "Am I That Easy to Forget".[49]

She subsequently co-wrote and recorded another top-20 hit called "Homebreaker",which peaked at number 15 on theHot Country Songschart in November 1959.[50]The same year, Davis joined theGrand Ole Opry.[49]During this time, she toured withJune Carter,and the two became good friends.[51]

From 1960 to 1962, Davis had top-10 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".[52][53]"(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too" marked Davis's first entrance as a solo artist onto the Billboardpop chartsin 1960[54]and resulted in her being invited to perform onDick Clark'sAmerican Bandstand.[55]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) ofFloyd Cramer's instrumentalcountry popsmash "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 thecountrycharts, peaking at number two and number five, respectively.

1963–1976: Crossover and critical accolades

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In 1963, Davis achieved her biggest success with country pop crossover hit "The End of the World".[56]The song just missed topping the country and pop charts that year; however, it did top theadult contemporarycharts. The record was also a surprise top-five hit on therhythm and bluescharts, making Davis one of the few white female singers to have a top-10 hit in that market. The single sold over one million copies and was awarded agold disc.[57]"The End of the World" soon became Davis's signature song. Davis achieved one other country-pop hit with theGerry GoffinandCarole King-penned "I Can't Stay Mad at You",which peaked at number seven on the pop charts and number two on the Easy Listening chart in 1963.[58]In 1964, she was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performancefor her recording of "He Says the Same Things to Me".[59]

Davis's success continued with "I'm Saving My Love"and 1964's"Gonna Get Along Without You Now",an updated cover of a 1956 hit byPatience and Prudence.Both made the top 10 on the country charts and cracked theBillboardTop 50 pop charts, though the success of "Gonna Get" was likely hampered by another remake of the song by vocalistTracey Deysimultaneously climbing the charts to peak slightly lower than Davis's version. Later pop efforts, such as "Let Me Get Close to You" in July 1964, missed making theBillboardHot 100,[60]reflecting the changing nature of pop styles due to the ongoingBritish invasion.In 1965, she recorded a duet withBobby Barecalled "A Dear John Letter",which just missed the country top 10.[60]The following year, she earned her third Grammy nomination for "Sun Glasses",which peaked at number 30 on the Hot Country Songs chart.[61]

In 1967, Davis was back in the top 10 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 byDolly Parton,to whom Davis paid tribute with an album calledSkeeter Sings Dollyin 1972), and "There's a Fool Born Every Minute".She received her fourth Grammy nomination for 1967's" What Does It Take ".[62]

In the late 1960s, she recorded several full-length albums, including two tribute works:Skeeter Davis SingsBuddy Holly(1967) andI LoveFlatt and Scruggs(1968).[63]Davis's recording of theanti-warsong "One Tin Soldier",released in 1972, earned her an appearance onThe Midnight Special.[64]The single was a major success in Canada, peaking as a top-ten hit onRPMcountry and adult contemporary charts.[65]

In 1970, Davis had another top-10 hit with "I'm a Lover (Not a Fighter)"and another duet with Bobby Bare 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. Her last major hit was 1973's" I Can't Believe That It's All Over ", which peaked at number 12 in country and number 101 on the pop chart. In the 1970s, she began regularly touring foreign countries such asBarbados,Singapore,andSweden,where she retained a following.[66]

Davis had the first and only controversy of her career when, during a 1973 Grand Ole Opry performance, she dedicated a gospel song to a group of young church workers whom she noted in her introduction had been arrested for evangelizing at a local mall. The Opry suspended her from membership after receiving complaints from some local policemen.[67]She was reinstated at the Opry more than a year later.[68][69]After losing several bookings during that period, Davis became active singing with a number of religious ministries and spent an extensive period evangelizing in Africa.[70]

1977–2004: Later life and career

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Davis returned to the recording studio in 1976 with a brief stint onMercury 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 did on occasion into the 1990s.

She recorded the albumShe Sings, They Playwith her third husband, bassistJoey Spampinatoand his band,NRBQ.[71]Her autobiography,Bus Fare to Kentucky(named after her1971 song), was published in 1993. In 1998, she wrote a children's book,The Christmas Note,withCathie Pelletier.

Personal life

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Relationships and marriages

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In 1956, Davis met Kenneth DePew, a railroad worker and acquaintance of Georgia.[72]The two began dating and married shortly after, though Davis would later state that he had married her for her income: "He saw the nice new furniture my money had bought the Davises; he saw theOldsmobileand knew I had money in the bank. I could be a short cut to easy street. "[73]According to Davis, their marriage was not consummated until eight days into their honeymoon.[74]The couple divorced in late 1959.[75]

In 1960, she married WSM disc jockeyRalph EmeryinFranklin, Kentucky.[76]Their marriage was tumultuous, with Davis recalling that Emery was jealous and controlling of her, refusing to let her work more than several days per month, obsessively calling her while she was on tour, and recurrently accusing her of infidelity: "Ralph accused me of being with everybody from guitar players to agents to producers to my hairdresser and believe it or not, to my brother and sister. Male or female, it made no difference."[54]The couple resided inRidgetop, Tennessee,for a time, before Emery had a home built for them in theBrentwoodarea.[77]In 1964, after four years of marriage, Davis divorced Emery after finding he had been unfaithful to her and conceived a child with another woman.[78]

Davis later married NRBQ bassistJoey Spampinatoin 1987. The couple divorced in 1996.[71]

Vegetarianism

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Davis became avegetarianin 1974, and remained so for the rest of her life.[79]She chose to abstain from eating meat after performing at a benefit concert inKenya,where the concert organizers had killed and roasted a goat for the artists' banquet. "I really connected with that goat," she recounted, "and I couldn't bear to eat it."[79]She declined to participate or allow her music to be used in several lucrative advertising campaigns for meat and meat-related products.[79]Davis partly attributed hervegetarianism to her Christianity,as she felt killing animals for consumption was incongruent with her religious beliefs.[79]

Illness and death

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In August 1988, Davis was diagnosed withbreast cancer.[80]She underwent amastectomyof her right breast to treat the cancer[81]and was in remission for several years before having a recurrence in 1996.[80]

In 2001, Davis became incapacitated by her breast cancer, which had metastasized. The following year, she made her final performance at the Grand Ole Opry, performing "The End of the World". She died of breast cancer in aNashville, Tennessee,hospice on September 19, 2004, aged 72.[82]She is interred at Williams Memorial Gardens inFranklin,Tennessee.[82]

Legacy

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Davis's song "The End of the World"has been named as a major influence on several artists: Among them areLou Reed,[83]and 21st-century singer-songwriterLana Del Rey,both of whom named it among their favorite recordings of all time.[84]Bob Dylanalso recorded a version of "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" featuring the Davis Sisters' arrangements on his 1970 albumSelf Portrait.[28]"The End of the World"was also used in the popular video gameFallout 4.

Nina Gordon,formerly ofVeruca Salt,also covered the song on her 2000 albumTonight and the Rest of My Life.

Davis penned nearly 70 songs over the course of her career, and earned twoBMIawards: for "Set Him Free" and "My Last Date With You", the latter also recorded byAnn-Margret,Pat Boone,Kay Starr,Joni James,and several others, in addition to Davis' original hit version.Deborah Harryrecorded a remake of Davis' version in 1993 featuringMichael Stipe,a long-time Davis fan. (Conway Twittywrote new lyrics for the instrumental in 1972 as "Lost Her Love (On Our Last Date)", which reached number one on the country chart, as didEmmylou Harris' remake of Twitty's version in 1983 retitled "Lost His Love (On Our Last Date)".)

Discography

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Main article:Skeeter Davis discography

Notes

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  1. ^Some sources list Davis's birthplace asDry Ridge, Kentucky,where she spent her early childhood.[3]However, in her 1993 autobiography, she states that she was in fact born in a small cabin along the bank ofEagle CreekinGlencoe, Kentucky.[2]

References

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  1. ^Palmer, Robert (December 15, 1985)."Critics' Choice; Pop Music".The New York Times.RetrievedAugust 5,2018.
  2. ^abDavis 1993,p. 7.
  3. ^Deaths,The Tennessean,September 21, 2004, p. W11,retrievedNovember 10,2013
  4. ^Davis 1993,p. 33.
  5. ^Davis 1993,pp. 10–11.
  6. ^Davis 1993,p. 20.
  7. ^abDavis 1993,p. 21.
  8. ^Davis 1993,p. 57.
  9. ^Davis 1993,p. 22.
  10. ^Davis 1993,p. 47.
  11. ^Davis 1993,p. 54.
  12. ^Davis 1993,p. 55.
  13. ^Davis 1993,pp. 64–66.
  14. ^Davis 1993,p. 87.
  15. ^Davis 1993,p. 94.
  16. ^Davis 1993,p. 108.
  17. ^Davis 1993,pp. 99–104.
  18. ^Davis 1993,p. 103.
  19. ^Davis 1993,pp. 103–105.
  20. ^Davis 1993,p. 107.
  21. ^Davis 1993,p. 117.
  22. ^Davis 1993,pp. 117–118.
  23. ^Davis 1993,pp. 122–123.
  24. ^Davis 1993,p. 127.
  25. ^Davis 1993,pp. 128–130.
  26. ^Davis 1993,p. 130.
  27. ^Davis 1993,pp. 133–134.
  28. ^abDavis 1993,p. 139.
  29. ^Whitburn 2006,p. 101.
  30. ^Davis 1993,p. 145.
  31. ^abDavis 1993,p. 149.
  32. ^Feldman 2000,p. 66.
  33. ^Davis 1993,pp. 148–150.
  34. ^Davis 1993,p. 150.
  35. ^Davis 1993,pp. 150–153.
  36. ^Davis 1993,p. 157.
  37. ^Davis 1993,p. 158.
  38. ^Davis 1993,pp. 158–160.
  39. ^abDavis 1993,p. 160.
  40. ^Davis 1993,p. 161.
  41. ^Davis 1993,p. 165.
  42. ^Davis 1993,pp. 165–169.
  43. ^Erlewine 1997,p. 116.
  44. ^Davis 1993,pp. 174, 183.
  45. ^abDavis 1993,p. 183.
  46. ^Davis 1993,pp. 186–187.
  47. ^Whitburn 2005,p. 108.
  48. ^Davis 1993,p. 163.
  49. ^abDavis 1993,p. 197.
  50. ^"Homebreaker – Chart History".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon September 11, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 10,2018.
  51. ^Davis 1993,p. 195.
  52. ^Whitburn 2006,p. 135.
  53. ^Davis 1993,pp. 210–213.
  54. ^abDavis 1993,p. 213.
  55. ^Davis 1993,p. 224.
  56. ^Gilliland, John(1969)."Show 10 – Tennessee Firebird: American country music before and after Elvis. [Part 2]"(audio).Pop Chronicles.University of North Texas Libraries.
  57. ^Murrells 1978,p. 145.
  58. ^Whitburn 2002,p. 73.
  59. ^"Finalists for 1964 Grammy Awards".Billboard.Vol. 77, no. 12. March 20, 1965. p. 6.ISSN0006-2510.
  60. ^abWhitburn 2002,p. 90.
  61. ^"Hot Country Singles"(PDF).Billboard.Vol. 77, no. 61. October 16, 1965. p. 56.ISSN0006-2510.
  62. ^"Skeeter Davis".Grammy Awards.The Recording Academy.RetrievedSeptember 10,2018.
  63. ^Davis 1993,p. 331.
  64. ^Davis 1993,p. 244.
  65. ^"Search results for" Skeeter Davis "under Country Singles".RPM.Archived fromthe originalon January 6, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 10,2018.
  66. ^Davis 1993,pp. 254, 326.
  67. ^Morris, Edward (September 19, 2004)."Grand Ole Opry's Skeeter Davis Dead at 72".CMTNews.Archived fromthe originalon May 14, 2011.RetrievedAugust 30,2018.
  68. ^Wolfe 1996,p. 144.
  69. ^Kingsbury 2004,p. 138.
  70. ^"An Interview with Skeeter Davis".Linda Ronstadt Homepage. January 1975.Retrieved18 January2020.
  71. ^abWadey, Paul (September 22, 2004)."Skeeter Davis: Country diva who sang 'The End of the World'".The Independent.London.RetrievedJuly 9,2018.
  72. ^Davis 1993,pp. 171–173.
  73. ^Davis 1993,p. 173.
  74. ^Davis 1993,p. 175.
  75. ^Davis 1993,p. 187.
  76. ^Davis 1993,p. 206.
  77. ^Davis 1993,pp. 221–222.
  78. ^Davis 1993,pp. 227–229.
  79. ^abcdWiley, Carol (June 1991)."Gonna Get Along Without Meat Now".Vegetarian Times.p. 96.ISSN0164-8497.Archivedfrom the original on October 16, 2007.
  80. ^ab"Skeeter Davis, 72; Singer of Pop Hit 'End of the World'".Los Angeles Times.September 21, 2004.RetrievedSeptember 9,2018.
  81. ^Davis 1993,p. 303.
  82. ^abWilson 2016,p. 182.
  83. ^Silverman, Gary (October 31, 2013)."My silent night with Lou Reed".Financial Times.RetrievedAugust 28,2018.
  84. ^BeatStaff (November 22, 2011)."Lana Del Rey Picks Her Top Eleven Tracks".Beat Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon December 22, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 10,2018.

Sources

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