Lynn Davis (born July 12, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. She rose to prominence after joining The George Duke Band in 1977. During her time with the band, she sang lead vocals on some of their biggest hits: "I Want You for Myself", "Party Down", and "Thief in the Night". Under the guidance of

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 ...

musician and mentor

George Duke George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...

, Davis continued booking success by contributing background vocals and writing songs for many singers including

Tracie Spencer Tracie Monique Spencer (born July 12, 1976) is an American singer–songwriter, actress, and model. Spencer first came to attention in 1987, when the then 11-year-old won the junior vocalist competition on the television show ''Star Search''. ...

La Toya Jackson La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956) is an American singer and television personality. The fifth child and middle daughter of the Jackson family, Jackson first gained recognition on the family's variety television series, ''The Jacksons'', ...

Patrice Rushen Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist and R&B singer. She is also a composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director. Her 1982 single "Forget Me Nots" received a Grammy Awar ...

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. She is one of the most popular singers of soulful ballads, especially renowned for her work during the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career ...

, and many other singers.Lynn Davis Discography
Discogs. Retrieved on December 12, 2015 Davis's musical genre has varied throughout her career including R&B,

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, and pop. Her artistic influences include George Duke,

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

, and

Earth, Wind, and Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...

. Throughout her career, Davis has written songs and contributed background vocals for over 100 different singers and musical groups.Lynn Davis , Credits , All Music Guide
All Music. Retrieved on December 12, 2015 Known for her wide, high-reaching vocal range, she is recognized as one of the most successful and musical recorded session vocalists of the era. She has also been a back-up singer for a number of famous artists, including

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

Toshinobu Kubota is a Japanese singer, songwriter, musician, music producer, and radio personality. He has produced six million-seller records and thirty-three Top 40 singles during his career. Kubota is currently part of Sony Music Japan. In addition, he has co ...

, as well as toured with

Yanni Yiannis Chryssomallis ( el, Γιάννης Χρυσομάλλης; born November 14, 1954), known professionally as Yanni ( ), is a Greek-American composer, keyboardist, pianist, and music producer. Yanni continues to use the musical shorthand ...

for a short period of time, where her popularity has grown among worldwide audiences.

Early life

Lynn Blythe Davis was born in

Jamestown, California Jamestown is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tuolumne County, California, United States. The population was 3,433 at the 2010 census, up from 3,017 at the 2000 census. Formerly a California Gold Rush town, Jamestown is now a California Hi ...

, to Adeline Davis (née Livingston) and Thomas Davis, a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister at a local church. Lynn attended

Narbonne High School Nathaniel Narbonne High School (NHS) is a school located at 24300 South Western Avenue, in the Harbor City area of Los Angeles, California. Narbonne serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Narbonne serve ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where she enrolled in dance classes. Her singing talent was discovered when she began performing in school talent shows. Lynn's interest in music and performing continued after winning a school talent show at age sixteen along with her friends. In 1975, Davis and Elaine Norwood entered the Battle of the Bands: Hollywood Bowl competition under the group name "Shades of Love". The duo won the contest, becoming the first vocal act in the history of the competition to win. After graduating high school at the age of 17, she received a message from a friend to audition for The George Duke Band.

Career

1977–1987: The George Duke Band

At the age of 18, Lynn began a professional singing career when she joined singer/musician

and his band for his tour. During this time, The George Duke Band consisted of George Duke, Josie James,

Sheila E. Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

Napoleon Murphy Brock Napoleon Murphy Brock (born June 7, 1945) is an American singer, saxophonist and flute player who is best known for his work with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, including the albums '' Apostrophe (')'', '' Roxy & Elsewhere'', ''One Size Fits All'', ...

Charles Foster Johnson Charles Foster Johnson (born April 13, 1953) is an American blogger, software developer, and former jazz guitarist. He has played on 30 albums, sometimes credited as Icarus Johnson. He blogs on Little Green Footballs. Biography Johnson was born ...

, Byron Miller, and

Leon "Ndugu" Chancler Leon "Ndugu" Chancler ( ; July 1, 1952 – February 3, 2018) was an American pop, funk, and jazz drummer. He was also a composer, producer, and university professor. Biography Early life Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on July 1, 1952, Leon ...

. In 1978, Lynn contributed background vocals on the title-track album "

No One Home ''No One Home'' is an album by Argentine composer, pianist and conductor Lalo Schifrin recorded in 1979 and released on the Tabu label.Payne, DLalo Schifrin discographyaccessed March 19, 2012

" by Argentine composer/pianist

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical elemen ...

. In the same year, she contributed background vocals along with The George Duke Band on

Flora Purim Flora Purim (born March 6, 1942) is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style. She became prominent for her part in Return to Forever with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke. She has recorded and performed with nu ...

's album ''Carry On''. In 1979, Lynn contributed background vocals on the songs "Summer Breezin'" and "I Need You Now", which were featured on George Duke's album ''A Brazilian Love Affair''. In mid-1979, Lynn became the featured vocalist on the single "I Want You for Myself", which was released on George Duke's album ''Master of the Game''. The single charted at number 23 on

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 ...

Hot R&B The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart and on the

Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

' chart. In the same year, Lynn began providing background vocals for singer

, whom she met during the recording sessions with Lalo Schifrin. The songs were featured on Rushen's hit album ''

Pizzazz ''Pizzazz'' is the fifth album by American singer Patrice Rushen. Reception While she was attacked for leaving the jazz genre, Rushen was able to get a good fan base with an R&B/Pop audience. Rushen's profile in the R&B world continued to incre ...

''. In 1980, Lynn began contributing background vocals for

's self-titled debut album. In the same year, she also contributed background vocals and began writing songs for Patrice Rushen's album ''

Posh Posh is an informal adjective for "upper class". It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Posh'' (album), a 1980 album by Patrice Rushen *" Posh!", a 1968 song from the musical ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' * ''Posh'' (2006 TV series), a 2006 Philip ...

''. Lynn also appears on the album as a guest and featured vocalist for "This Is All I Really Know", a song she wrote for Rushen's album. For a brief time, Davis joined the band

Twennynine Twennynine, also known as Twennynine with Lenny White, was an American R&B band founded in 1979. Overview Twennynine was founded by jazz fusion drummer Lenny White in 1979 after he left Return to Forever. White formed the band to explore commerc ...

and contributed vocals to their first album ''Best of Friends''. Davis was also present with the band when they performed on

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

. In 1981, Lynn recorded a cover version of

's hit single

After the Love Has Gone "After the Love Has Gone" is a single by Earth, Wind & Fire released in 1979 on ARC/Columbia Records. The song reached No. 2 on both the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, behind The Knack's "My Sharona" and the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, No. ...

for

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion dur ...

's album ''Tender Togetherness''. In the same year, she also contributed background vocals for

Syreeta Wright Syreeta Wright (February 28, 1946 – July 6, 2004), who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for her music during the early 1970s through the early 1980s. Wright's career heights we ...

's album '' Set My Love in Motion'' and

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...

's album ''Significant Gains''. In late 1981, she recorded background vocals for

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...

's duet album '' Billy Preston & Syreeta''. In 1982, Lynn was featured on

Jeffrey Osborne Jeffrey Linton Osborne (born March 9, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and lyricist. He is the former drummer and lead singer of the American R&B/soul group L.T.D., with whom he began his musical career in 1970. Biography Earl ...

's debut single "I Really Don't Need No Light", which appeared on his self-titled debut album. Lynn also appears a background vocalist on his song "Ain't Nothin' Missin'" and "Baby", which also appear on his album. Later that year, Lynn once again provided background vocals and wrote songs for Patrice Rushen to appear on her hit album, '' Straight from the Heart''. In early 1983, Lynn joined The Gene Dunlap Band. The band released their first album, entitled ''Tired of Being a Nice Guy''. Lynn returned to the George Duke Band and they released their album ''Guardian Of The Light''. Lynn later toured with the George Duke Band for their worldwide tour. During the tour, the George Duke Band recorded their live album ''Live in Tokyo, Japan 1983'', which was also released on DVD. Later that year, Lynn joined

's Sexual Healing Tour as a backup vocalist. The tour also featured, fellow George Duke Band member,

and her brother Peter Michael Escovedo. Lynn continued to provide background vocals on Duke's following albums: "Rendezvous" (1984), "Super Keyboards" (1984), "Thief in the Night" (1985), and "George Duke" (1986). In 1985, she recorded two songs that would appear on

Rodney Franklin Rodney Franklin (born September 16, 1958) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Biography Franklin was born in Berkeley, California in September, 1958. In 1964, aged six, he took jazz piano lessons at the Washington Elementary School and w ...

's album ''Marathon''; "Stay On in the Groove" and a duet song "Love Is the Answer" with Darryl Coley. In 1986, Lynn recorded two songs "The First Time" and "It's Your Turn", which were featured in the film '' Flying: Dream To Believe''. In 1987,

formed a R&B group called "101 North", which Lynn was briefly a part of along with fellow George Duke Band members Josie James, Napoleon Murphy Brock, and Carl Carwell. The group released their self-titled debut album in August 1987.

1987–1995: Touring with Toshinobu Kubota and Yanni

In 1987, Lynn was introduced to uprising Japanese singer

, who was impressed with her stage performance during the Japan Aid 2nd Festival in October 1987. Later that year, Lynn re-located to Japan and began recording regularly with Kubota and eventually became a backup singer for him during his "I Need Your Funky Thang Tour". In the same year, Lynn met Japanese singer/musician Hiroshi Satoh. Satoh produced a song for Lynn called "Lady of the Nile" and a duet song with Satoh entitled "Together", which appeared on his album ''Future File''. In 1988, she was featured on Kubota's single "Indigo Waltz" from his third album ''

Such A Funky Thang! ''Such a Funky Thang!'' is the third album of Japanese singer Toshinobu Kubota, released on September 30, 1988. The album peaked at number one and was certified million.

''. In the same year, Lynn returned to America and co-wrote as well as produced songs for Gary Taylor,

Paul Jackson, Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Los Angeles. Jackson knew by the age of fifteen that he wanted to become a professional musi ...

, Alfonz Jones,

Evelyn "Champagne" King Evelyn "Champagne" King (born July 1, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is best known for her hit disco single "Shame", which was released in 1977 during the height of disco's popularity. King had other hits from ...

Stacy Lattisaw Stacy Lattisaw Jackson (née Lattisaw; born November 25, 1966) is an American R&B singer from Washington, D.C., United States. Career The 1979 song "Ring My Bell" was originally written for then twelve-year-old Lattisaw, as a teenybopper song ...

, Howard Hewett,

Deniece Williams Deniece Williams (born June Deniece Chandler; June 3, 1951) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs " Free", " Silly", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and two ''Bil ...

, and many other singers. She also joined

for her European Tour. In 1989, Lynn appeared on Toshinobu Kubota's single "Give You My Love". The song peaked at number 3 on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In J ...

, selling over 150,000 copies in Japan. In 1990, Lynn made a guest appearance Kubota's fourth album ''

Bonga Wanga ''Bonga Wanga'' is the fourth studio album of Japanese singer Toshinobu Kubota, released on July 15, 1990. Under the label, Kubota released his first single, "Be Wanabee" in October 1990, followed by "Mama Udongo" in March 1991. The lead single "B ...

'', in which she sings background vocals on the lead single "Be Wannabe". In the same year, Lynn and Toshinobu Kubota performed a live cover of

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like M ...

and

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

's single "

The Closer I Get to You "The Closer I Get to You" is a romantic ballad performed by singer-songwriter Roberta Flack and soul musician Donny Hathaway. The song was written by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, two former members of Miles Davis's band, who were members of Flac ...

" on a Japan's national music program. In 1991, Lynn joined Toshinobu Kubota during his "Bonga Wanga Spring Tour" as a backup singer. After the conclusion of the tour, she parted ways with the singer. After returning to America, Lynn began providing background vocals and writing songs on many albums for

Phil Perry Philip Eugene Perry (born January 12, 1952) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician and a former member of the soul group, The Montclairs, from 1971 to 1975. He was also known for performing the opening song to Disney’s sitcom, '' Goof ...

Diane Schuur Diane Joan Schuur (born December 10, 1953), nicknamed "Deedles", is an American jazz singer and pianist. As of 2015, Schuur had released 23 albums, and had extended her jazz repertoire to include essences of Latin, gospel, pop and country music ...

Tevin Campbell Tevin Jermod Campbell (born November 12, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Re ...

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

Phyllis Hyman Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Hyman is best known for her music during the late 1970s through the early 1990s, some of her most notable songs were "You Know How to Love Me" ...

, and

Peabo Bryson Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson (born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the 1983 hit "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" with Roberta Flack. Bryson ...

. In 1992, she began recording with Go West. She contributed background vocals on the lead single " Faithful" as well as "Tell Me" and "King of Wishful Thinking" for their album ''

Indian Summer An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Several sources describe a true Indian summer as not occurring until after the first frost, or more s ...

''. She contributed background vocals for

Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the best-selling artis ...

's album '' Breathless''. In the same year, Lynn re-joined long-time friend

and performed on his album, ''Snapshot''. In the summer of 1993, Lynn was asked to tour with Greek-American composer

. Along with

Darlene Koldenhoven Darlene Koldenhoven (born October 9, 1950) is an American musician. Darlene won a Grammy Award for her singing. Career Grammy recipient and is a three-time Grammy nominee for the lead soprano in Clare Fischer's 2+2. She was the featured sopra ...

, she performed the song "Aria" during each concert. She continued to tour with Yanni throughout the end of 1995, during end of his Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1995. The performances were recorded live and released on two of Yanni's live DVD:

Live at the Acropolis ''Live at the Acropolis'' is the first live album and concert film by the Greek keyboardist, composer, and producer Yanni, released on March 1, 1994, on Private Music. It was recorded at the Herodes Atticus Theatre in Athens, Greece during his 1 ...

(1994) and Live at Royal Albert Hall (1995).

1996–present: Later career

In 1996 and 1997, she contributed background vocals for albums that would be released by

Eros Ramazzotti Eros Walter Luciano Ramazzotti (; born 28 October 1963) is an Italian pop singer, musician and songwriter. He is popular in Italy and most European countries, and throughout the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in bo ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

Vonda Shepard Vonda Shepard (born July 7, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, music director and actress. She appeared as a regular in the television show '' Ally McBeal'', as a resident performer in the bar where the show's characters drank, danced and c ...

, and

Puff Johnson Ewanya "Puff" Johnson (December 10, 1972 – June 24, 2013) was an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born in Detroit, she emerged on the music scene with her singles " Forever More" and " Over and Over", which experienced commercial success in E ...

. In 1998, she was contributed background vocals for the

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

and

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

single "

When You Believe "When You Believe" is a song from the 1998 DreamWorks musical animated feature ''The Prince of Egypt''. It was written and composed by Stephen Schwartz. A pop single version of "When You Believe", with additional music and lyrics by writer-pr ...

". In 2000, she recorded with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

and

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

for their collaboration album, ''

The Road to El Dorado ''The Road to El Dorado'' is a 2000 American animated adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. It was the third animated feature produced by DreamWorks. The film was directed by Eric "Bibo" Bergeron a ...

''. In 2001, Davis appeared on Pat Thomi's album ''Remote Control'' as a guest vocalist on the song "Love's Own Time". Davis would later go on to record music with

Gerald Albright Gerald Albright is an American jazz saxophonist. He earned Grammys for 24/7 in 2012 and Slam Dunk in 2014 and has been nominated for New Beginnings in 2008 and for Sax for Stax in 2009. Biography Born in Los Angeles, Albright grew up in its ...

Laura Pausini Laura Pausini (; born 16 May 1974) is an Italian singer. She rose to fame in 1993, winning the newcomer artists' section of the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival with her debut single "La solitudine", which became an Italian standard and an internat ...

Cerrone Marc Cerrone Daryl Easlea, "Supernature Boy", ''Record Collector'', #502, February 2020, pp.60-63 (, ; born 24 May 1952) is a French disco drummer, composer, record producer and creator of concert shows. Cerrone is a producer of 1970s and 1980 ...

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

The Mooney Suzuki The Mooney Suzuki is an American garage rock band that formed in New York City in 1996. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Sammy James, Jr., guitarist Graham Tyler, bassist John Paul Ribas and drummer Will Rockwell-Scott, the band ha ...

Frank McComb Frank McComb (born July 15, 1970) is a soul singer and record producer. He has collaborated with Prince, Chaka Khan, Will Smith, Najee, Branford Marsalis, George Duke, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Phyllis Hyman, Gamble and Huff, Patrice Rushen, Lalah ...

, and Lynne Fiddmont. In 2008, Davis reunited with

and the original members of The George Duke Band to record "Dukey Treats" and "Mercy" for his album "Dukey Treats". In August 2013, Davis briefly reunited with The George Duke Band at the George Duke Memorial Service. Along with her band mates, she gave a brief commentary about her mentor

. She also performed "Brazilian Love Affair" with The George Duke Band and

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jaz ...

. In October 2022, Davis released the first single "Can I Come Over" from her forthcoming album ''Lynn Davis from the Vault'' on her independent label Bella Records.

Artistry

Regarding her voice type, Davis is a

lyric soprano A lyric soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that has a warm quality with a bright, full timbre that can be heard over an orchestra. The lyric soprano voice generally has a higher tessitura than a soubrette and usually plays ingenues and ot ...

. Davis possesses a five-octave vocal range, and has the ability to reach notes beyond the 6th octave. During her time with the George Duke Band, she often took on the role of singing the high vocal parts of the songs as with "Funkin' for the Thrill" and "Stand With Your Man". Duke stated, "The addition of Lynn Davis made a huge difference in what I was able to write. I composed with the band in mind, utilizing each of their personal musical strengths."George Duke 1970s
George Duke. Retrieved on December 5, 2016 Although Davis has not released a solo album, she has recorded full-length albums with musical groups: 101 North, Gene Dunlap Band, and

. Her music is generally R&B, but she has written songs for other musical artists that incorporates pop,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

, and

into the music. She is also fluent in singing

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Discography

;Singles * "Can I Come Over"

Tours

* 1979: George Duke Band Tour (with

) * 1982: Sexual Healing Tour (with

) * 1983: Guardian of the Light Tour (with George Duke) * 1984: The Woman in Red Tour (with

) * 1986-87: George Duke Tour (with George Duke) * 1988: European Tour (with

) * 1989: I Need Your Funky Thang! Tour (with

) * 1990: Bonga Wanga Tour (with Toshinobu Kubota) * 1993-95: Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts (with

)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Lynn Living people 1958 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses African-American actresses African-American Christians African-American women singer-songwriters African-American pianists American women pianists African-American record producers Record producers from California American dance musicians American evangelists Women evangelists American women pop singers American gospel singers American music arrangers American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American session musicians American sopranos American soul singers Elektra Records artists Epic Records artists Singers with a five-octave vocal range 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists American women record producers 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers