Richie Davis (musician)

{{short description|American guitarist and bandleader|bot=PearBOT 5}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| image = Richard Peter Davis.jpg

| name = Richard "Richie" Peter Davis

| caption = circa 2010

| birth_name = Richard Peter Davis

| alias =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|12|30|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, United States

| death_date = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}}

| origin = Chicago, Illinois

| instrument = Guitar

| genre = R&B, pop, funk, soul

| occupation = Musician, bandleader, composer

| years_active = 1969 onwards

| label =

| current_member_of = Chicago Catz

| website = {{url|chicagocatz.com/}}

}}

Richard Peter Davis (born December 30, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American guitarist and bandleader who is Chicago-based. He is the son of actor Nathan Davis, the brother of director Andrew Davis, and a co-founder/current member of the rhythm and blues band known as the Chicago Catz.

Biography

=Musical education and influences=

The performing arts are in Richie's blood, being born to parents that met while they were both members of [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZgTg_JsAk9IC&pg=PA38 The Chicago Repertory Group] during the New Deal years of the 1930s performing in politically oriented "lefty shows", a precursor to the Federal Theatre Project. Richie grew up in Chicago in the Jeffrey Manor neighborhood located on the southeast side of the city near the old steel mills along with an older brother (Andrew Davis) and sister.

As a pre-teen Richie constantly listened to music on his transistor radio to the local Chicago radio stations WVON, WCFL, WLS, and WGRT listening to a large variety of pop music that would influence his later musical life. He couldn't get enough of the music-variety television shows of the time, his favorites being the early Sunday morning Jubilee Showcase and Hee-Haw. A musical revelation occurred when he borrowed from the local library a copy of the latest album release by B. B. King "Live in Cook County Jail". In 1969, while attending sixth grade, Richie encountered a classmate that brought an old beat-up guitar to school ([http://uniqueguitar.blogspot.com/2010/02/more-about-amp-in-case-guitars.html Sears Silvertone with in-case amp]). Richie started to play the guitar picking out notes on the strings to a popular tune of the time and got a tremendous response from an audience of on-looking students. His musical career had started.

Around this same time his older brother Andrew returned from a trip to Europe and gave Richie a copy of the album "Are You Experienced" by a new guitar artist very popular in England at the time, Jimi Hendrix. Also during this time period, the neighborhood that Richie and his family had been living in went through a major change for about two years, from a population of about 99% white to about 99% black, due to a real estate practice going on at the time in Chicago known as Redlining. His politically oriented parents chose to make a statement by deciding to remain living in the changing neighborhood. Regarding this change, Richie was interviewed{{cite web|url=http://www.studsterkel.org/race.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222214806/http://www.studsterkel.org/race.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 22, 2010|title=Studs Terkel : Conversations with America|date=February 22, 2010|accessdate=May 23, 2018}} years later by Studs Terkel for his book on race.Race: What Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession (1992). {{ISBN|978-1-56584-000-3}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/2834828,CST-NWS-character26.article |title=Archived copy |access-date=October 29, 2010 |archive-date=February 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210100137/https://chicago.suntimes.com/lifestyles/2834828,CST-NWS-character26.article |url-status=dead }} This occurrence added to his musical experience as he acquired skill at playing the guitar and as a result he began jamming with local area musical talent which was a mix of black and white music including pop music, funk and R&B. Specific musicians that have influenced his musical world are rhythm guitarists Eric Gale, Cornell Dupree, Nile Rodgers, Tony Maiden, Al McKay. Other musical influences are James Brown, Prince, Johnny Winter, John McLaughlin, Frank Zappa, and Wes Montgomery. Up until this time Richie had not really had any formal training on the guitar or music.

=Early career=

1975–1978

After attending some college intent on being a biology major, Richie's brother, Andrew Davis a budding cinematographer-turned-movie director at the time, asked Richie to star in a film he was making called Stony Island about a musician living and working in the Chicago inner city.Chicago Sun-Times 2003 newspaper article: "Before making his directorial debut with 1978's "Stony Island," which he co-wrote and produced, Davis acted as cameraman on 15 features and television productions. "Stony" a locally shot street musical featuring Davis' younger brother Richie, a musician who still lives in the city, and, in a much smaller role, their father Nathan Davis, a part-time thespian and World War II vet, marked the first of many times Davis would use his native city as a cinematic backdrop"{{IMDb title|0078324|The Fugitive}}{{cite web|url=http://www.blockbuster.com/download/catalog/movieDetails/74743|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315050534/http://www.blockbuster.com/download/catalog/movieDetails/74743|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 15, 2012|title=Stony Island DVD Rental, Rent Stony Island Movie Online|date=March 15, 2012|accessdate=May 23, 2018}} Richie cut a single with Patrice Rushen entitled "Stony Island Band" for the movie soundtrack.{{cite web|url=http://www.blaxploitation.com/s_261.html |title=Soundtracks: Stony Island, David Matthews, 1978 |website=Blaxploitation.com |date= |accessdate=2014-05-29}} He then moved to Los Angeles and began formal education in music and guitar with Ted Greene, Jimmy Wyble, and attending the Dick Grove{{cite web|url=http://www.dickgrove.com/wd/t/httpdocs/contact/meet_dick_grove1.htm|title=Dick Grove School Without Walls : About|website=Dickgrove.com|accessdate=May 23, 2018}} Music Workshop which later became known as The Grove School of Music.

=Later career=

Richie formed the Chicago Catz in 1986.

=Current musical associations=

Richie has worked with many musicians and session recording artists including the Chicago Catz, "Downtown" Tony Brown, Kevin Smith, Mark Ohlsen, Wayne Stewart, David Gross, Devin Thompson, James A. Perkins Jr., Chicago and Tony "Toca" Carpenter.

Discography

=Albums=

(1982) Maxx Traxx – Maxx Traxx{{Cite web|url=http://www.vinyl-masterpiece.com/catalog/Artist-CD/All-Artist-Albums/Maxx-Traxx-Maxx-Traxx-PTG-CD/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091119194751/http://www.vinyl-masterpiece.com/catalog/Artist-CD/All-Artist-Albums/Maxx-Traxx-Maxx-Traxx-PTG-CD/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 19, 2009|title=Maxx Traxx - Maxx Traxx (PTG CD) Vinyl-Masterpiece.com|date=November 19, 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.soulmusiccollector.com/maxx_traxx.html |title=Maxx Traxx-Maxx Traxx (Pulse) |website=Soulmusiccollector.com |date= |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(1991) Keith Washington – Make Time For Love{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1100473 |title=Keith Washington – Make Time for Love CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=April 16, 1991 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(1994) Tad Robinson – One To Infinity{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1187144 |title=Tad Robinson – One to Infinity CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=November 14, 1994 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(1995) Bonnie Lee – Sweetheart of the Blues{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1187149 |title=Bonnie Lee – Sweetheart of the Blues CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=June 27, 1995 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(1997) Brian Culbertson – Secrets{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1098597 |title=Brian Culbertson – Secrets CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=September 16, 1997 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2000) Big DooWopper – All in the Joy{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1187215 |title=Big DooWopper – All in the Joy CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=April 28, 2000 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2000) Glen Washington – Free Up The Vibes{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1810394 |title=Glen Washington – Free Up the Vibes CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=December 17, 2002 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2001) Big Time Sarah – Million of You{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1903647 |title=Big Time Sarah – Million of You CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=June 1, 2001 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2002) Mike Phillips – You Have Reached Mike Phillips{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=3524574 |title=You Have Reached Mike Phillips CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=May 14, 2002 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2003) Dave Gordon – Faux Real{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=5875275 |title=Dave Gordon – Faux Real CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=April 22, 2003 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2003) Do or Die – Pimpin' Ain't Dead{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6127176 |title=Do Or Die – Pimpin' Ain't Dead CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date= |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2005) Do Or Die – DOD{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6832414 |title=Do Or Die – D.O.D. CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=February 1, 2005 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2005) Mariah Carey – The Emancipation of Mimi (uncredited track – "My One and Only")
(2007) Howard Hewett – If Only...{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7406124 |title=Howard Hewett – If Only CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=May 15, 2007 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2007) B-Cow – Squur Dance{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7369404 |title=B-Cow – Squur Dance CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=January 30, 2007 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2010) Lisa McClowry – Time Signatures{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8203700 |title=Lisa Mcclowry – Time Signatures CD Album |website=Cduniverse.com |date=July 13, 2010 |accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2015) Brian Wilson – No Pier Pressure
(2022) Chicago – Born For This Moment

Filmography

=Soundtracks=

(1989) The Package (composer: "I Don't Know")
(1992) Under Siege (composer: "RAP MAMA GOOSE", "LOVE YOU TO DEATH", "SEA OF BLUES")
(1998) A Perfect Murder (composer: songs "Velver Night", "Black Alley Rap" and "Park Jam")
(2003) Holes (composer: "I'm Gonna Run", "Stranger", "Clear the Air", "Happy Dayz"){{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311289/soundtrack|title=Holes (2003) : Soundtracks|website=IMDb.com|accessdate=2014-05-29}}
(2006) The Guardian (composer: "Once Again", "So Lovely", "Hold Tight",{{Cite web|url=http://www.tadrobinson.com/bluesjournal/2007/07/soundtracking-guardian.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214112714/http://www.tadrobinson.com/bluesjournal/2007/07/soundtracking-guardian.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 14, 2009|title=blues journal: Soundtracking the Guardian|date=February 14, 2009}} "No More You", "Shake Up the World", "Friday Night") (performer: "Once Again"){{IMDb name|0205328|Richard Davis}}

=Actor=

(1978) Stony Island as Richie Bloom
(1992) Under Siege as Bail Jumper
(2006) The Guardian as Guitarist with Chicago Catz

Publications

Race: What Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession (1992) by Studs Terkel {{ISBN|978-1-56584-000-3}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.chicagocatz.com}}
[https://www.youtube.com/user/chicagocatzmusic Youtube.com]

Category:1957 births

Category:Living people

Category:Guitarists from Chicago

Category:20th-century American guitarists