Stephen Allen Davis

Stephen Allen Davis (October 4, 1949 – December 26, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter. Many of his songs are credited as "Steve Davis". He has written 18 number one songs for various artists, including the single "Stand Beside Me" for country artist Jo Dee Messina, which spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and earned Davis a triple Million-Air certificate from BMI for the more than three million performances it has received.[1] The album was also certified Triple Platinum.

Stephen Allen Davis
Birth nameStephen Allen Davis
Born(1949-10-04)October 4, 1949
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedDecember 26, 2022(2022-12-26) (aged 73)
GenresR&B, Rock, Pop, Country
Occupation(s)Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Publisher, Player, Artist, Recording Engineer
Instrument(s)Guitar, Piano, Bass, Vocals
Years active1964–2022
LabelsOriginal HomeTown Record
Websitehttps://www.sadavis.cloud/

Biography

Hailing from Hendersonville, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, Davis was a nationally ranked tournament water skier in his teens, but after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, everything changed, and music became his passion.[2] Stephen formed his first combos and started playing at dances and writing songs when he was 14. He got his first professional gig playing bass with a band called "Billy Osbourne and the Tracers," who gigged at the infamous Printer's Alley in Nashville. After spending a summer playing at a biker bar in Indianapolis with the band, Stephen's parents wanted him to return to Nashville to attend college.

Once back in town, Stephen wanted to pursue a full-time music and songwriting career. Davis sought advice from his uncle, ** Harold Bradley, on how to get into the music business.[2] He suggested that Stephen talk to a music publisher. Harold called an old friend of his, Norro Wilson, who ran Al Gallico Music located in New York City but with an active office in Nashville, and set up a meeting for Davis to come into the Gallico Music office on Music Row or 16th Ave as it was called then. That meeting with Norro Wilson led to his first songwriter publishing deal and his first Top #5 record. Davis was awarded two BMI awards for the song in 1968 and 1969. The first award was an R&B award, and the second was a Pop Award. Davis has gone on to earn 17 more BMI awards over the years with three million plus performance songs. That song by Percy Sledge was "Take Time to Know Her". Once the song started moving up the charts, he signed his first major record deal with RCA. He had just turned 18.

Davis had over 400 songs recorded by various artists, including Joe Cocker, Meat Loaf, Tammy Wynette, Reba McEntire, Barbara Mandrell. He also released nine LPs of his own. The Desert Sessions, with a later project bring a live concert that also aired on PBS.[2]

**  Harold and his brother Owen Bradley were two of the founders of Music Row with the first studio in Nashville called the Quonset Hut that became the famous Studio B at CBS Columbia's Label; Harold Bradley has been given the title of "Most Recorded Guitar Player" of all time) Owen produced some of the day's biggest hits with Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, and Patsy Cline. He headed up Dot Records for many years.

Davis died on December 26, 2022, at the age of 73.[3][4]

List of cuts and singles written by Stephen Allen Davis

References
  1. BMI.com, 3 Million Strong
  2. Bio
  3. "This message is from Stephen's brother, Costo: Stephen Allen Davis "left the building" for the final time at 7:34 pm, Monday, December 26, 2022. He passed in a peaceful sleep after being surrounded with his family's love". Stephen Allen Davis on Facebook. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  4. "Hommages". Soulbag. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
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