Dennis Davis (August 28, 1949 – April 6, 2016) was an American drummer and

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

best known for his work with

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, playing on ten albums - including seven successive studio albums - during the singer's classic mid- and late- seventies period, and on many hit singles, starting with " Fame" (1975).

Early life and military service

Davis was born and raised in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City, and studied with drummers

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz Jazz drumming, drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in h ...

and

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

before joining the

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

Big Band in 1967. He joined the U.S. Navy and served on the

USS Rowan (DD-782) USS ''Rowan'' (DD-782) was a of the United States Navy, the fourth Navy ship named for Vice Admiral Stephen C. Rowan (1805–1890). Construction and career ''Rowan'' was laid down on 25 March 1944 by Todd Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Seattle, W ...

from 1969 to 1970 during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. He was discharged from the U.S Navy in 1970 in San Diego, California. He was wounded during his military service, but was able to hone his skills when he performed as part of the US Navy's Drum and Bugle Corps.

Career

Davis met guitarist

Carlos Alomar Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any musician other than pianist Mike Garson. He has als ...

when they were both playing with

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Pol ...

. Davis was hired by David Bowie in 1974 for two tracks on ''

Young Americans ''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul and ...

''. Alomar, Davis and George Murray formed the "D.A.M. Trio"

rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm sec ...

which performed on seven successive albums released by Bowie in the 1970s, all of which are regarded as amongst the artist's best. Davis also played on three live albums recorded during that period, two of which were released after Bowie's death. The snare sound used on Bowie's '' Low'' album is considered influential on many later records. It was the result of early

pitch shifting Pitch shifting is a sound recording technique in which the original pitch of a sound is raised or lowered. Effects units that raise or lower pitch by a pre-designated musical interval ( transposition) are called pitch shifters. Pitch and tim ...

technology coupled with Davis's sensitive touch as a performer. In the late seventies Davis also teamed up with

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

and worked on four albums over the following decade. In the early 2000s, he played percussion on David Bowie's live tours, including the artist's last,

A Reality Tour A Reality Tour was a worldwide concert tour by David Bowie in support of the ''Reality'' album. The tour began on 7 October 2003 at the Forum Copenhagen, Denmark, continuing through Europe, North America, Asia, including a return to New Zealan ...

, in 2003. The drummer for that band was Sterling Campbell, who was previously a student of Davis.

Death, tributes and sons

Davis died on April 6, 2016, of cancer. His youngest son, Hikaru Davis, made a series of interview videos from 2016 to 2019 speaking with musicians who knew his father. When interviewed,

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

played Davis' drum and "thunderous" conga tracks from "

Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...

", periodically exclaiming "great!", "amazing!", "that's killer!", and noting that Davis "plays so many things at once... and yet it doesn't sound busy". The accompanying review says that Davis is "that most perfect of drummers too: endlessly inventive, yet never gets in the way of the funk." T-Bone Motta, an older son, has been the drummer for

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

since 2012.

Selective discography

With

*''Red, Black and Green'' (1973) *''

Coffy ''Coffy'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film written and directed by Jack Hill. The story is about a black female vigilante played by Pam Grier who seeks violent revenge against a heroin dealer responsible for her sister's addiction.Gary A. ...

'' (1973) *''Virgo Red'' (1973) *''A Tear to a Smile'' (1975) *''

Vibrations Vibration is a mechanical phenomenon whereby oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. The word comes from Latin ''vibrationem'' ("shaking, brandishing"). The oscillations may be periodic, such as the motion of a pendulum—or random, such ...

'' (1976) *''Step in to our Life'' (1978) *''

You Send Me "You Send Me" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer Sam Cooke, released as a single in 1957 by Keen Records. Produced by Bumps Blackwell and arranged and conducted by René Hall. The song, Cooke's debut single, was a massiv ...

'' (1978) - "Can't You See Me" *'' No Stranger to Love'' (1979) *''I'm the One for your Love Tonight'' (1987) *''Wake Up'' (1989) *''Double Trouble'' (1992) *''Good Vibrations'' (1993) *''The Essential Groove - Live'' (1994) *''Naste′'' (1995) *''Mahogany Vibe'' (2004) With

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

*''

Good King Bad ''Good King Bad'' is the thirteenth studio album by American guitarist George Benson featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released by CTI Records in 1976.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 24, 2012 Reception The Allmusic revi ...

'' (1975) - "Shell of a Man" *''

Pacific Fire ''Pacific Fire'' is an archival studio album by George Benson released in 1983 by CTI Records. This album consists of unreleased tracks recorded during the 1975 ''Good King Bad'' sessions. It is credited as the final release for CTI before the l ...

'' (1983) With

*''

'' (1975) - "Across the Universe", "Fame" *''

Station to Station ''Station to Station'' is the tenth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 23 January 1976 through RCA Records. Regarded as one of his most significant works, the album was the vehicle for Bowie's performance person ...

'' (1976) *'' Low'' (1977) *'' "Heroes"'' (1977) *''

Stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

'' (1978) *'' Lodger'' (1979) *'' Scary Monsters'' (1980) *''

Live Nassau Coliseum '76 ''Live Nassau Coliseum '76'' is a live album by David Bowie recorded on 23 March 1976 during Bowie's Isolar Tour in support of the album ''Station to Station''. The recording was first released in September 2010, as part of special and deluxe e ...

'' (2017) *''

Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78) ''Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)'' is a live album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie recorded on the Isolar II Tour. It had a limited vinyl release on 21 April 2018 for Record Store Day. A more widely available CD edition foll ...

'' (2018) *''Live in Berlin

978 Year 978 ( CMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Pankaleia: Rebel forces under General Bardas Skleros are defeated ...

L.P.'' (2018) *'' I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)'' (2020) With

Ronnie Foster Ronnie Foster (born May 12, 1950) is an American funk and soul jazz organist, and record producer. His albums recorded for Blue Note Records in the 1970s have gained a cult following after the emergence of acid jazz. Early life Foster was born ...

*''

Cheshire Cat The Cheshire Cat ( or ) is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll in ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and known for its distinctive mischievous grin. While now most often used in ''Alice''-related contexts, the association of a "Ch ...

'' (1975) *''Love Satellite'' (1978) *''Delight'' (1979) With

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackson ...

*'' Let's Get Serious'' (1980) – "Let's Get Serious," "Where Are You Now," "You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me" With

Garland Jeffreys Garland Jeffreys (born June 29, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter in rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul music. Career Jeffreys is from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, of African American and Puerto Rican heritage. He majored in art hist ...

*'' Guts for Love'' (1982) With

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

*''

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Идиот, Idiót) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–69. The title is an ...

'' (1977) With

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

*'' Where There's Smoke...'' (1979) - "I Love The Nearness Of You" With

*''

Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

'' (1979) – "A Seed's a Star/Tree Medley" *'' Hotter Than July'' (1980) – "Did I Hear You Say You Love Me," "As If You Read My Mind", "Master Blaster (Jammin')" *''

Original Musiquarium ''Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I'' is a compilation album by R&B/soul musician Stevie Wonder that was released in 1982 by Tamla Records. It collects eleven Top 40 hit singles and five album tracks, including four previously unreleased tr ...

'' (1982) – "Do I Do" *''

Characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

'' (Motown, 1987) – "Free" with

Jephté Guillaume Jephté Guillaume is a Haitian-born DJ, bassist, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from Brooklyn whose signature Haitian folk song-infused house music was signed and promoted by the New York-based Spiritual Life Music brand. His Tèt Kale sound ...

& The Tet Kale Orkestra

References

External links

Dennis Davis Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Dennis 1951 births 2016 deaths African-American drummers American session musicians Musicians from New York City People from Manhattan American rock drummers United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War American funk drummers Rhythm and blues drummers Soul drummers Stevie Wonder Deaths from cancer in the United States United States Navy sailors