
Nonesuch
Betty Davis - Betty Davis (Blue Vinyl)
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One
can
hardly
imagine
the
genre-busting,
culture-crossing
musical
magic
of
Outkast,
Prince,
Erykah
Badu,
Rick
James,
The
Roots,
or
even
the
early
Red
Hot
Chili
Peppers
without
the
influence
of
R&B
pioneer
Betty
Davis.
Her
style
of
raw
and
revelatory
punk-funk
defies
any
notions
that
women
can’t
be
visionaries
in
the
worlds
of
rock
and
pop.
In
recent
years,
rappers
from
Ice
Cube
to
Talib
Kweli
to
Ludacris
have
rhymed
over
her
intensely
strong
but
sensual
music.
There
is
one
testimonial
about
Betty
Davis
that
is
universal:
she
was
a
woman
ahead
of
her
time.
In
our
contemporary
moment,
this
may
not
be
as
self-evident
as
it
was
thirty
years
ago
–
we
live
in
an
age
that’s
been
profoundly
changed
by
flamboyant
flaunting
of
female
sexuality:
from
Parlet
to
Madonna,
Lil
Kim
to
Kelis.
Yet,
back
in
1973
when
Betty
Davis
first
showed
up
in
her
silver
go-go
boots,
dazzling
smile
and
towering
Afro,
who
could
you
possibly
have
compared
her
to?
Marva
Whitney
had
the
voice
but
not
the
independence.
Labelle
wouldn’t
get
sexy
with
their
“Lady
Marmalade”
for
another
year
while
Millie
Jackson
wasn’t
“Feelin’
Bitchy”
until
1977.
Even
Tina
Turner,
the
most
obvious
predecessor
to
Betty’s
fierce
style
wasn’t
completely
out
of
Ike’s
shadow
until
later
in
the
decade.
Ms.
Davis’s
unique
story,
still
sadly
mostly
unknown,
is
unlike
any
other
in
popular
music.
Betty
wrote
the
song
“Uptown”
for
the
Chambers
Brothers
before
marrying
Miles
Davis
in
the
late
‘60s,
influencing
him
with
psychedelic
rock,
and
introducing
him
to
Jimi
Hendrix
—
personally
inspiring
the
classic
album
’Bitches
Brew.’
But
her
songwriting
ability
was
way
ahead
of
its
time
as
well.
Betty
not
only
wrote
every
song
she
ever
recorded
and
produced
every
album
after
her
first,
but
the
young
woman
penned
the
tunes
that
got
The
Commodores
signed
to
Motown.
The
Detroit
label
soon
came
calling,
pitching
a
Motown
songwriting
deal,
which
Betty
turned
down.
Motown
wanted
to
own
everything.
Heading
to
the
UK,
Marc
Bolan
of
T.
Rex
urged
the
creative
dynamo
to
start
writing
for
herself.
A
common
thread
throughout
Betty’s
career
would
be
her
unbending
Do-It-Yourself
ethic,
which
made
her
quickly
turn
down
anyone
who
didn’t
fit
with
the
vision.
She
would
eventually
say
no
to
Eric
Clapton
as
her
album
producer,
seeing
him
as
too
banal.
In
1973,
Davis
would
finally
kick
off
her
cosmic
career
with
an
amazingly
progressive
hard
funk
and
sweet
soul
self-titled
debut.
Davis
showcased
her
fiercely
unique
talent
and
features
such
gems
as
“If
I’m
In
Luck
I
Might
Get
Picked
Up”
and
“Game
Is
My
Middle
Name.”
The
album
Betty
Davis
was
recorded
with
Sly
&
The
Family
Stone’s
rhythm
section,
sharply
produced
by
Sly
Stone
drummer
Greg
Errico,
and
featured
backing
vocals
from
Sylvester
and
the
Pointer
Sisters.
Tracklist:
If
I'm
In
Luck
I
Might
Get
Picked
Up,
Walkin
Up
The
Road,
Anti
Love
Song,
Your
Man
My
Man,
Ooh
Yea,
Steppin
In
Her
I.
Miller
Shoes,
Game
Is
My
Middle
Name,
In
The
Meantime,
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