Stephen Allen Davis
Stephen Allen Davis is an American singer-songwriter. Many of his songs are credited as "Steve Davis". He has written 18 number one songs for various artists, most recently the single "Stand Beside Me" for country artist Jo Dee Messina, which spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart (now Hot Country Songs) and earned Davis a triple Million-Air certificate from BMI for the more than three million performances it has received.[1]
Stephen Allen Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country, R&B, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer, recording engineer |
| Instruments | Guitar, piano, vocals |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | Original HomeTown Records and Tapes |
| Associated acts | Jo Dee Messina, Percy Sledge, Tammy Wynette |
| Website | https://www.stephenallendavis.com/ |
Hailing from just outside Nashville, Tennessee, Davis was a nationally ranked tournament water skier in his early teens, but after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show he decided that music was what he wanted to do.[2] Stephen formed his first combo and started playing at Teen Town ( a social event that was in Hendersonville, TN connected with the high school) and started writing songs when he was 14. He got his first professional gig playing bass with "Billy Osbourne and the Tracers", who gigged in the infamous Printer's Alley in Nashville. After spending a summer in Indianapolis with the band Stephen's parents wanted him to return to Nashville to attend college and so he did. Once back in town Stephen wanted to pursue a full-time music and songwriting career. Davis sought the advice from his uncle Harold Bradley (One of the founders of Music Row with the first studio on the street called the Quonset Hut that eventually 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) (Con't) on how to get into the music business.[2] He suggested that Stephen talk to a music publisher. Harold called 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 first meeting with Norro Wilson led to his first songwriter publishing deal and his first award winning song recorded by Percy Sledge called "Take Time to Know Her". Davis was awarded two BMI awards for the song in 1968 and 1969. The first award was and R&B award and the second was a Pop Award. Davis went on to earn 17 more BMI awards over the years.
Since then he has had over 400 songs recorded by various artists, including Joe Cocker, Meat Loaf, Tammy Wynette, Reba McEntire, Barbara Mandrell. Davis has also released four records of his own. "The Desert Sessions", his most recent project was a live concert that also aired on PBS in the spring of 2009.[2][3]
List of singles Written by Stephen Allen Davis
- Jo Dee Messina – "Stand Beside Me"
- Percy Sledge – "Take Time to Know Her"
- Tammy Wynette – "One of a Kind", "No One Else in the World"
- Little Texas – "Amy's Back in Austin"
- Reba McEntire – "Just a Little Love"
- Charlie Rich – "Beautiful Woman"
- Barbara Mandrell – "There's No Love in Tennessee", "Only a Lonely Heart Knows"
- Charly McClain – "Sleepin' with the Radio On", "Radio Heart", "With Just One Look in Your Eyes"
- Johnny Rodriguez – "North of the Border", "I Want You Tonight"
- Johnny Duncan – "Hello Mexico (and Adios Baby to You)"
- Joe Stampley – "Dear Woman", "Penny", "Take Time to Know Her"