Mac Davis
Mac Davis (born January 21, 1942 in Lubbock , Texas , † September 29, 2020 in Nashville , Tennessee ; also Scott Davis ) was a singer-songwriter . He was mainly active in the genre of country music .
Life
Beginning as a composer
In 1961 he started in the music business as regional manager of the record label Vee-Jay Records and in 1965 he moved to Liberty Records, where he rose to head of the associated music publisher “Metric Music Publishing”. His first composition (co-author: Larry Collins) You're Good For Me was adopted by rhythm & blues and soul interpreter Lou Rawls in July 1968 and became the title track on the Rawls LP of the same name. The next composition (written together with Freddy Weller) Within My Memory , already placed in the country sector for Glen Campbell's LP A New Place in the Sun (November 1968), was not registered in the chart. During this phase Elvis Presley tried to make a comeback with a new recording studio and producer after 3 years of abstinence from the top 10 . In search of song repertoire, Elvis first took over A Little Less Conversation from Davis (written with Billy Strange ) , which was used as the B-side of Almost in Love in September 1968 and was still recorded in the RCA studios in Nashville , Tennessee. A # 69 on the charts was another setback for Elvis management. Two other compositions were Memories and Nothingville (both again with Billy Strange), recorded in June 1968. Then Charro followed for the Elvis film of the same name, recorded on October 15, 1968 and published as the B-side of the single Memories without any particular resonance.
breakthrough
Davis then met in Presley's hometown of Memphis on Chips Moman , the studio owner, session guitarist and producer of American Sound Studios , who had received the production contract for the next songs from Elvis' management. In January 1969, 12 songs were created here for the next Elvis LP From Elvis in Memphis , including the socially critical In the Ghetto . Before this LP was released in June 1969, it was decided to release In the Ghetto as a single in April 1969 . The explosive song hit the US pop charts, where it climbed to 3rd place (in GB No. 2, in Germany even the only No. 1 place for Elvis). As early as June 1969, the play about the hopelessness of the youth in the ghetto until their milieu-related death achieved the status of a million seller . The next composition for Elvis was Clean Up Your Own Back Yard , published in June 1969, but with a # 35 no further progress. The Davis composition Don't Cry Daddy , already recorded on January 15, 1969, was only released as an Elvis single in November 1969 and reached a 6th place. Davis compositions thus played a key role in Elvis Presley's successful comeback.
These successes made Davis a sought-after songwriter. For OC Smith he wrote Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife (May 1969, US-47) and Daddy's Little Man (August 1969, US-34). A short time later, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition placed his Something's Burning in the charts (February 1970, US-11, GB-8), which became the second most successful hit of this formation. Bobby Goldsboro achieved an identical placement in the USA with Watching Scotty Grow (December 1970). Previously, Glen Campbell's Everything a Man Could Ever Need (July 1970) made it to a 5th place in the country charts.
In 1971 he received his own 90-minute late night show on NBC entitled I Believe in Music , the theme song of which was featured in the US charts in August 1972 by the group "Gallery" (US-22). In April 1972, Ray Price brought the Davis song The Lonesomest Lonesome to No. 2 in the country charts. In June 1990 he appeared as a co-author of Dolly Parton 's White Limozeen .
Interpreter
In 1970, Mac Davis received a recording deal from Columbia Records. With his own composition Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me , he proved his singing ambitions, because this song, released in August 1972, reached the top position of the US pop charts. His producer Rick Hall had asked Davis to write a text with a repetitive phrase (in English "hook", bracket '). When Davis presented this title with unfinished text and a fragmentary score, it was clear to the producer: “That sounds like a No. 1 hit. Let's get to work. ”As an interpreter, he released a dozen less successful songs by 1981, including the December 1974 retrospective Rock N 'Roll (I Gave You the Best Years Of My Life) (written by K. Johnson) which is a reminder that Mac Davis was born in the same place as Buddy Holly .
He had more success in the country charts. While Texas reached No. 9 in the charts in November 1980 in My Rear View Mirror , Hooked on Music (March 1981) made it to 2nd place.
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1970 | Song Painter |
US182 (4 weeks) US |
Country35 (2 weeks) Country |
|
| 1971 | I believe in music |
US160 (17 weeks) US |
- | |
| 1972 | Baby don't get hooked on me |
US11  (44 weeks)US |
Country27 (17 weeks) Country |
|
| 1973 | Mac Davis |
US120 (13 weeks) US |
Country19 (12 weeks) Country |
|
| 1974 | Stop and Smell the Roses |
US13 (45 weeks)US |
Country2 (36 weeks) Country |
|
| All the love in the world |
US21st  (14 weeks)US |
Country6 (16 weeks) Country |
||
| 1975 | Burnin 'Thing |
US64 (10 weeks) US |
Country9 (12 weeks) Country |
|
| 1976 | Forever Lovers |
US156 (9 weeks) US |
Country11 (13 weeks) Country |
|
| 1977 | Thunder in the Afternoon | - |
Country38 (4 weeks) Country |
|
| 1978 | Fantasy | - |
Country43 (4 weeks) Country |
|
| 1980 | It's hard to be humble |
US69 (15 weeks)US |
Country3 (52 weeks) Country |
|
| Texas in My Rearview Mirror |
US67 (9 weeks) US |
Country12 (35 weeks) Country |
||
| 1981 | Midnight Crazy |
US174 (3 weeks) US |
Country19 (24 weeks) Country |
|
| 1984 | Soft talk | - |
Country65 (3 weeks) Country |
|
| 1985 | Till I Made It with You | - |
Country48 (19 weeks) Country |
|
More studio albums
- 1982: Forty 82
- 1983: Who's Lovin 'You
- 1986: Somewhere in America
- 1994: Will Write Songs for Food
Compilations
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1979 | Greatest hits |
US- |
Country44 (4 weeks) Country |
|
More compilations
- 1979: The Mac Davis Collection
- 1984: Very Best and More
- 2000: The Best of Mac Davis
- 2006: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection
- 2007: The Best of Mac Davis
- 2013: A Little More Action Please: The Anthology 1970-1985
- 2013: Hard to Be Humble: The Best of Mac Davis
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1970 | Whoever Finds This, I Love You Song Painter |
- |
US53 (8 weeks) US |
Country43 (13 weeks) Country |
|
| I'll Paint You a Song Song Painter |
- | - |
Country68 (4 weeks) Country |
||
| 1971 | Beginning to Feel the Pain Song Painter |
- |
US92 (2 weeks) US |
- | |
| 1972 | Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me |
UK29 (6 weeks) UK |
US1 (18 weeks)US |
Country26 (11 weeks) Country |
|
| Everybody Loves a Love Song Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me |
- |
US63 (7 weeks) US |
- | ||
| 1973 | Dream Me Home Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me |
- |
US73 (7 weeks) US |
Country47 (8 weeks) Country |
|
| Your Side of the Bed Mac Davis |
- |
US88 (6 weeks) US |
Country36 (11 weeks) Country |
||
| Kiss It and Make It Better Stop and Smell the Roses |
- | - |
Country29 (15 weeks) Country |
||
| 1974 | One Hell of a Woman Stop and Smell the Roses |
- |
US11 (28 weeks) US |
- | |
| Stop and Smell the Roses Stop and Smell the Roses |
- |
US9 (14 weeks) US |
Country40 (12 weeks) Country |
||
| 1975 | Rock 'N' Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life) All the Love in the World |
- |
US15 (11 weeks) US |
Country29 (11 weeks) Country |
|
| (If You Add) All the Love in the World All the Love in the World |
- |
US54 (4 weeks) US |
Country69 (6 weeks) Country |
||
| Burnin 'Thing Burnin' Thing |
- |
US53 (8 weeks) US |
Country31 (12 weeks) Country |
||
| I Still Love You (You Still Love Me) Burnin 'Thing |
- | - |
Country81 (5 weeks) Country |
||
| 1976 | Forever Lovers Forever Lovers |
- |
US76 (5 weeks) US |
Country17 (13 weeks) Country |
|
| Every Now and Then Forever Lovers |
- | - |
Country34 (10 weeks) Country |
||
| 1977 | Picking Up the Pieces of My Life Thunder in the Afternoon |
- | - |
Country42 (9 weeks) Country |
|
| 1978 | Music in My Life Fantasy |
- | - |
Country92 (5 weeks) Country |
|
| 1980 | It's Hard to Be Humble Hard to Be Humble |
UK27 (16 weeks) UK |
US43 (12 weeks) US |
Country10 (12 weeks) Country |
|
| Let's Keep It That Way Hard to Be Humble |
- | - |
Country10 (15 weeks) Country |
||
| Texas in My Rearview Mirror Texas in My Rearview Mirror |
- |
US51 (9 weeks) US |
Country9 (17 weeks) Country |
||
| 1981 | Hooked on Music Texas in My Rearview Mirror |
- | - |
Country2 (15 weeks) Country |
|
| Secrets Texas in My Rearview Mirror |
- |
US76 (6 weeks) US |
Country47 (10 weeks) Country |
||
| You're My Bestest Friend Midnight Crazy |
- | - |
Country5 (18 weeks) Country |
||
| 1982 | Rodeo Clown Texas in My Rearview Mirror |
- | - |
Country37 (10 weeks) Country |
|
| The Beer Drinkin 'Song Forty '82 |
- | - |
Country52 (8 weeks) Country |
||
| Lying Here Lying Forty '82 |
- | - |
Country62 (7 weeks) Country |
||
| 1984 | Most of all soft talk |
- | - |
Country41 (14 weeks) Country |
|
| Caroline's Still in Georgia Soft Talk |
- | - |
Country76 (5 weeks) Country |
||
| 1985 | I Never Made Love (Till I Made It with You) Till I Made It with You |
- | - |
Country10 (24 weeks) Country |
|
| I Feel the Country Callin 'Me Till I Made It with You |
- | - |
Country34 (16 weeks) Country |
||
| 1986 | Sexy Young Girl Till I Made It with You |
- | - |
Country46 (9 weeks) Country |
|
| Somewhere in America Somewhere in America |
- | - |
Country65 (5 weeks) Country |
||
More singles
- 1963: I'm a poor loser
- 1963: A Little Dutch Town
- 1963: Honey Love
- 1965: Bad Scene
- 1970: I Believe in Music
statistics
According to Broadcast Music Incorporated , Davis has 184 registered compositions. He has received a total of 16 BMI Song Awards from this organization. In 2000 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and 2006 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2003 he received the “BMI TV Music Award”.
literature
- Irwin Stambler: The Encyclopedia Of Pop, Rock And Soul . 3rd revised edition. St. Martin's Press, New York City 1989, ISBN 0-312-02573-4 , pp. 163f
Web links
- Literature by and about Mac Davis in the catalog of the German National Library
- Mac Davis in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Mac Davis at Discogs (English)
- BMI-pages about Mac Davis (Engl.)
- Interview with Mac Davis (Engl.)
- Songwriter's Hall of Fame (Engl.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fred Bronson: The Billboard Book Of Number One Hits . Billboard Books, New York City 1985, ISBN 0-8230-7522-2 , p. 318
- ↑ a b c Chart sources: UK US
- ↑ a b c Music Sales Awards: US
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Davis, Mac |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Davis, Scott Mac |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer-songwriter and country musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 21, 1942 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lubbock , Texas, USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | 29th September 2020 |
| Place of death | Nashville , Tennessee |