Linda Kaye Davis (born November 26, 1962) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer. Before beginning a career as a solo artist, she had three minor country singles in the charts as one half of the duo Skip & Linda. In her solo career, Davis has recorded five studio albums for major record labels and more than 15 singles. Her highest chart entry is "

Does He Love You "Does He Love You" is a song written by Sandy Knox and Billy Stritch, and recorded as a duet by American country music artists Reba McEntire and Linda Davis. It was released in August 1993 as the first single from Reba's compilation album '' Gre ...

", her 1993 duet with

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

, which reached number one on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country charts and won both singers the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration. Her highest solo chart position is " Some Things Are Meant to Be" at No. 13 in 1996. Davis is the wife of the country singer Lang Scott and the mother of

Hillary Scott Hillary Dawn Scott-Tyrrell (born April 1, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. She is the co-lead singer of Lady A, previously known as Lady Antebellum, a country music group that was formed in 2006, and is signed to Big Machine Records ...

Lady A Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), ...

. Davis won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Album and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song as part of the Scott Family's album ''Love Remains''. Linda Davis now has three Grammy wins in her career. Linda won the

Billboard Music Award The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...

, as part of Hillary Scott & The Scott Family, for Top Christian Song ("

Thy Will "Thy Will" is a Christian country song recorded by American singer and songwriter Hillary Scott for her collaborative album with the Scott Family, '' Love Remains'' (2016). Scott co-wrote the faith-affirming song with Bernie Herms and Emily Wei ...

") in May, 2017.

Biography

Davis was born November 26, 1962, in Texas. She first sang in public on a local radio show at age six. By the time she was 20, Davis had moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, where she paired up with the singer Skip Eaton to form the duo Skip & Linda. They signed to MDJ Records and had three minor singles on the ''

'' country charts. Davis later performed at a piano bar inside a

Sheraton hotel Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is an international semi-luxury hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of June 30, 2020, Sheraton operates 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms globally, including locations in North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, Cen ...

, when she was discovered by the record producer Bob Montgomery. Davis moved to Tennessee and became a receptionist for a small studio. She occasionally sang demos and jingles. Shortly after starting her job she met a songwriter who became her husband: Lang Scott. After marrying in August 1984, they had two daughters: Their daughters are

(April 1, 1986) and Rylee Jean Scott (2000).

Career

''In a Different Light'' and ''Linda Davis''

Davis's first solo chart entry came in 1988 on

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

, although it was not until 1991 that she released her first album '' In a Different Light'' on

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

. This album produced two chart singles, but no Top 40 hits. That same year, Davis co-wrote the title track of

Dawn Sears Dawn Sears (December 7, 1961 – December 11, 2014) was an American country music artist. In addition to her work as a backing vocalist in Vince Gill's band, she recorded four solo studio albums, of which two were released on major labels. She ...

's debut album ''

What a Woman Wants to Hear ''What a Woman Wants to Hear'' is the debut album of American country music singer Dawn Sears. It was released in 1991 via Warner Bros. Records. The tracks "Till You Come Back to Me" and "Good Goodbye" were released as singles. Critical recept ...

''. A year later, Davis released her second album, ''

Linda Davis Linda Kaye Davis (born November 26, 1962) is an American country music singer. Before beginning a career as a solo artist, she had three minor country singles in the charts as one half of the duo Skip & Linda. In her solo career, Davis has recor ...

'', which did not produce any chart singles at all.

then chose Davis as a backing vocalist for her road band.

"Does He Love You" and ''Shoot for the Moon''

Davis had her biggest chart success in 1993 when she and McEntire recorded their duet "

". Davis's only number one country hit, it also won her and McEntire a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Country Vocal Collaboration that year. Soon afterward, Davis signed to

Arista Nashville Arista Nashville is an American record label that serves as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & ...

and recorded her third album, '' Shoot for the Moon''. This album's first single, the

Mac McAnally Lyman Corbitt McAnally Jr. (; born July 15, 1957), known professionally as Mac McAnally, is an American country music singer-songwriter, session musician, and record producer. In his career, he has recorded ten studio albums and eight singles. ...

composition "Company Time", failed to enter the Top 40. It was followed by "Love Didn't Do It" at No. 58. Davis, along with

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...

and

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocat ...

, sang guest vocals on McEntire's mid-1995 cover version of the

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

/ Michael McDonald song " On My Own", although only McEntire received chart credit for it.

''Some Things Are Meant to Be''

Davis did not enter Top 40 on the country charts again until 1996 with the title track of her 1996 album '' Some Things Are Meant to Be'', her second album for Arista. This song peaked at No. 13 on the country charts, becoming her highest solo chart position. Following it were "A Love Story in the Making" (co-written by the former

NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed around 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re-f ...

member Al Anderson) at No. 33, and "Walk Away", which failed to chart. Also included on this album was the song "What Do I Know", released by

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

the same year as its first single.

''I'm Yours''

Davis's fifth album, '' I'm Yours'', was released in 1998 on

DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label operated until 200 ...

, then a newly established record label. Its first single, " I Wanna Remember This", was used on the soundtrack to the film '' Black Dog''. The song peaked at No. 20 in 1998, followed by the title track at No. 38 and "From the Inside Out" at No. 60. After this latter song, Davis left DreamWorks. She was signed to

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

' Dreamcatcher Records in 2000.

2003–present

In 2003, Davis self-released a Christmas album with her husband, Lang Scott, and their daughter, Hillary (b. April 1, 1986). Two more self-released albums, ''I Have Arrived'' and ''Young at Heart'', followed in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Hillary founded the country music group

in 2006, who were known as Lady Antebellum up until 2020. In 2009, Davis was inducted into the

Texas Country Music Hall of Fame The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, located in Carthage in Panola County in East Texas, honors those who have made outstanding contributions to country music and were born in the state of Texas. This includes singers, songwriters, disc jocke ...

. Davis joined

Lulu Roman Lulu Roman (born Bertha Louise Hable on May 6, 1946) is an American comedian, singer, and author. She is known as a regular on the comedy-music show ''Hee Haw'', which debuted in 1969. Roman was born with a thyroid dysfunction in a home for un ...

(of

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 1 ...

fame) for a cover version of

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

's "

You Needed Me "You Needed Me" is a song written by Randy Goodrum, who describes it as being about "unconditional undeserved love". It was a number one hit single in the United States in 1978 for Canadian singer Anne Murray, for which she won a Grammy Award. ...

" on Roman's 2013 album ''At Last''. In 2013 & 2015, Davis toured with the late country singer

. Davis also accompanied Rogers on his "The Gambler's Last Deal" retirement tour in 2017.

Discography

Albums

Singles

As Skip & Linda

Solo

As Hillary Scott & the Scott Family

Guest singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Linda 1962 births Living people American women country singers American country singer-songwriters Grammy Award winners Singer-songwriters from Texas Arista Nashville artists DreamWorks Records artists EMI Records artists Liberty Records artists People from Panola County, Texas Country musicians from Texas 21st-century American women