Whoever Finds This I Love You - Music

Morris Mac Davis Born In Lubbock TX On 21 January 1942 Died September 29 2020 Was An American Country Music Singer Songwriter And Actor Who Has Enjoyed Much Crossover Success. His Early Work Writing For Elvis Presley Produced The Hits "Memories" "In The Ghetto" "Don't Cry Daddy" And "A Little Less Conversation". A Subsequent Solo Career In The 1970s Produced Hits Such As "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" Making Him A Well-Known Name In Pop Music. He Also Starred In His Own Variety Show A Broadway Musical And Various Films And TV Shows. 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 Divorced From Davis's Mother As "very Religious Very Strict And 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 Own Division." After He Finished High School Davis Moved To Atlanta Georgia Where His Mother Lived To Get Out Of Lubbock. Once He Was Settled In Atlanta He Organized A Rock And Roll Group Called The Zots And Made Two Singles For OEK Records Managed And Promoted By OEK Owner Oscar Kilgo. Davis Also Worked For The Vee Jay Record Company Home To Such R&B Stars As Gene Chandler Jerry Butler And Dee Clark As A Regional Manager And Later Also Served As A Regional Manager For Liberty Records. Davis Became Famous As A Songwriter 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 1960s. During His Time There He Played On Many Of Sinatra's Recordings And She Worked Him Into Her Stage Shows. Boots Enterprises Also Acted As Davis's 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 B. J. Thomas And Many Others. Davis Left Boots Enterprises In 1970 To Sign With Columbia Records Taking All Of His Songs With Him. 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 . Presley Recorded "In The Ghetto" In 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. Mac Davis The Only White Man In The Room At The Time Eventually Told Bowen "I Don't Know Whether To Thank Ya Or To Kill Ya." Mac Davis Eventually Recorded The Tune After Presley's Version Became A Success And Was Released In A Ronco In Concert Compilation In 1975. It Was Later Released On A Campy Rhino Records Golden Throats Compilation In 1991. The Song Became A Success For Presley And He Continued To Record More Of Davis's Material Such As "Memories" "Don't Cry Daddy" And "Clean Up Your Own Backyard". Bobby Goldsboro Also Recorded Some Of Davis's Songs Including "Watching Scotty Grow" Which Became A #1 Adult Contemporary Success For Goldsboro In 1971. Other Artists Who 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 B.J. Thomas Louis Jordan Perry Como Helen Reddy And Davis Himself Before It Finally Became A Success In 1972 For The Group Gallery. Later He Also Became Known As A Country Singer. During The 1970s Many Of His Songs "crossed Over" Successfully Scoring On Both The Country And Popular Music Charts Including "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" A Number One Grammy-Nominated Success "One Hell Of A Woman" Pop No. 11 And "Stop And Smell The Roses" A No. 9 Pop Hit . Also During The 1970s He Was Very Active As An Actor Appearing In Several Movies As Well As Hosting A Successful Variety Show. Davis Soon Decided To Pursue A Career Of His Own In Country Music He Was Signed To Columbia Records In 1970. After Several Years Of Enriching The Repertoires Of Other Artists His Big Success Came Two Years After Signing With Columbia. He Topped The Country And Pop Charts With The Song "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me". It Sold Over One Million Copies And Was Awarded A Gold Disc By The Recording Industry Association Of America In September 1972. Some Of Davis's Lyrics Invoked Overtly Sexual Relationships. In The Song "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" He Pleads With A Woman Not To Become Too Enamored With Him Because He Does Not Want To Commit To A Full-Time Relationship. Other Successful Songs Such As "Naughty Girl" And "Baby Spread Your Love On Me" Contained Similar Lyrics. In 1974 Davis Was Awarded The Academy Of Country Music's Entertainer Of The Year Award. Some Of Davis's Other Successes Include The Songs "Stop And Smell The Roses" A Number One Adult Contemporary Success In 1974 Pop No. 9 "One Hell Of A Woman" Pop No. 11 "Rock'n'Roll I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life " Pop No. 15 And "Burnin' Thing" Pop No. 53 . At The End Of The 1970s He Moved To Casablanca Records Which Was Best Known At The Time For Its Successes With Disco Star Donna Summer And Rock'n'roll Band Kiss. His First Success For The Company In 1980 Was The Novelty Song "It's Hard To Be Humble" A Light-Hearted Look At How Popularity And Good Looks Could Go To One's Head. The Song Became His First Country Music Top 10 And A Rare Top 30 Hit In The UK. It Was Translated Into Dutch As "Het Is Moeilijk Bescheiden Te Blijven" And Became A Hit For The Dutch Singer Peter Blanker In 1981 . Later That Year He Also Had Another Top 10 Song With "Let's Keep It That Way". In November "Rock'n'Roll I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life " Was Played By KHJ In Los Angeles As Its Last Song Before It Switched From Top 40 To Country Music. He Achieved Other Successful Songs Such As "Texas In My Rear View Mirror" And "Hooked On Music" Which Became His Biggest Country Music Success In 1981 Going To No. 2. In 1985 He Recorded His Last Top 10 Country Music Success With The Song "I Never Made Love Till I Made Love With You ". On January 19 1985 Davis Performed "God Bless The USA" At The 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala Held The Day Before The Second Inauguration Of Ronald Reagan. Davis Was Inducted Into The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame In 2000. read less