Melvin Lee Davis is an American bass player, vocalist, keyboard player, producer, TV composer and engineer based in Orange County, California. He is the music director for Grammy-award winning artist

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 ...

and has recorded with The Pointer Sisters,

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

, Bryan Ferry,

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 ...

and Gladys Knight & the Pips. He co-wrote "Soul Train's a-Comin", the theme song for the television show ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

''. His albums, ''Tomorrow's Yesterday'' and ''Nature's Serenade'' were released through

The Orchard The Orchard may refer to: * The Orchard (company), American music and entertainment company * The Orchard (band), Canadian country music duo * ''The Orchard'' (Lizz Wright album), 2008 * ''The Orchard'' (Ra Ra Riot album), 2010 * The Orchard (t ...

; ''LTV: Love, Truth & Victory'' was released through

P-Vine Records P-Vine Records is an independent record label based in Tokyo, Japan. History It was started in 1976 by Blues Interactions, a firm founded in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi, as a record label focused on black music. The label name c ...

Early life and career

Born and raised in Orange County, Melvin Lee Davis played the violin at age four and the saxophone at age six; he took up guitar while he was in high school. He was discovered by a saxophone player in Buddy Miles's jazz band who was dating his sister while Davis was playing at a club. Miles flew Davis to New York City to audition and hired him on the spot. Davis played in New York City clubs and met ''Soul Train'' producer Don Cornelius through a mutual friend, Ron Kersey. According to Davis, Davis made many of his contacts in R&B through Cornelius. "...if you were a black musician in the business of making R&B and soul music and wanted to get on television, you had to go through Don Cornelius," he said. His association with Cornelius lead him to co-write the ''Soul Train'' theme, "Soul Train's A-Comin'". Davis has worked for Grammy award winning singer Chaka Khan as a session and touring bassist in addition to music director. He's also worked with Lee Ritenour, Patti Austin, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Pointer Sisters, and Bryan Ferry.

Discography

* ''Nature's Serenade'' (2003) * ''Tomorrow’s Yesterday'' (2000) * ''LTV: Love, Truth & Victory'' (1996) * ''Genre: Music (2011)

Selected credits

With

* ''Alive in L.A.'' * ''This Is Love'' * ''Rit's House'' * ''Wes Bound'' * ''Smoke 'n' Mirrors'' * ''6 String Theory'' With George Benson * ''Love Remembers'' * ''Standing Together'' * ''Irreplaceable'' With

* ''That Secret Place'' * ''Reach'' With others * Gladys Knight & the Pips, ''All Our Love'' * Allen Hinds, ''Touch''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Melvin Living people Musicians from Orange County, California American blues guitarists American rock guitarists Electric blues musicians Guitarists from California Year of birth missing (living people)