Denise Lorraine Davis, better known by her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Rainy Davis, is an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

. Out of four ''

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 ...

'' charted singles, Davis is known best for her song " Sweetheart". The single was originally released on the New York-based independent label called Supertronics Records. However, after the song became a hit in the clubs, then on urban radio and eventually crossing over to pop radio,

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

A&R Exec Joe McEwen offered Rainy Davis a production-artist deal for worldwide physical distribution, which included buying Davis's previous contract from Supertronics. Rainy Davis went on to record two albums for Columbia and received numerous awards for her contributions to hit songs over the years. In 2005, when digital music distribution was new to the majority of independent artists and label professionals, Davis, founder and president of Rainysongs, set up her online entertainment company with worldwide digital distribution. This was one of the first digital music distribution labels owned by an African American woman. Davis was also one of the pioneers to structure the foundation for fair digital recording agreements in the U.S. In 2010, Davis and her company Rainysongs introduced a digital technology platform to North America that empowers independent music professionals to control their digital music content worldwide online.

Biography

Davis was born and raised in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. Even before being famous, Davis was paying her dues. She was singing with a local band called Jamilia (with band members

Keith Sweat Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and an early figure in the new jack swing musical movement. He is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her", " Make It Last Forever", "I'll Give A ...

, Charisse Davis until she joined the female singing group Musique, created and produced by Patrick Adams, which garnered the club pop hits "In the Bush" and "Keep On Jumpin." After a few weeks of rehearsals with their new band, Musique was out on the road, and Rainy Davis was a live performance member of the female trio group Musique with Becky Bell and Marisa Dejean. Rainy was now on her first tour as a member of a group with two songs that hit #1 on the ''Billboard'' Disco Action Charts and then crossing over to a pop hit record. The tour was booked throughout North America by the Norby Walters Agency. At the request of Amir Bayyan, (personal friend of the Jacksons), Rainy Davis wrote " Sweetheart" for

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

with her songwriting partner Pete Warner. When the demo was finished, all the songs for Janet's 1986 album ''

Control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controllin ...

'', had been chosen. Amir Bayyan, Christine Bayyan, and Chris Lord-Alge suggested to Davis that she release the song herself, and, as a result, it became a major hit in the dance and club scene and on urban and pop radio. Columbia Records signed Rainy Davis in 1987 and dubbed her 'America's Sweetheart', then sent Davis on a national tour to support her debut album. The tour included an appearance on

Don Cornelius Donald Cortez Cornelius (September 27, 1936 – February 1, 2012) was an American television show host and producer widely known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music show ''Soul Train'', which he hosted from 1971 until 1993 ...

' TV 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 ...

'' and a performance at the world-famous

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, New York. Davis was also a presenter at the Rhythm & Blues awards at Bally's in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. Rainy Davis remains a creative force in the entertainment industry and is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, accomplished music publisher, producer, and recording artist. Her publishing company Rainysongs, is a member of

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

and holds controlling interests in the Sweetheart copyrights. Collectively with various album releases by

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 ...

and

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

with the inclusion of "Sweetheart", album sales exceed 22 million physical records worldwide. Davis' additional production and songwriting and releases include

the Cover Girls The Cover Girls are an all-female, New York city-based freestyle group that achieved most of its chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Among the group's best-known songs are " Show Me, " " Because of You," “ Don't Stop Now,” ...

' "Spring Love" from the album ''Show Me'';

Inner Life Inner Life was an American club-oriented soul studio project formed in 1979 that enjoyed success with "I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair)" (1979), "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (1981), and "Moment of My Life" (1982). Tracks featured th ...

and

Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American R&B and dance singer. Although she has only one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name, she has an extensive background in the musi ...

's "I Want to Give You Me" from ''I'm Caught Up'',

Apollo 440 Apollo 440 (also known as Apollo Four Forty or @440) are a British electronic music group formed in Liverpool in 1990. The group has written, recorded, and produced five studio albums, collaborated with and produced other artists, remixed as ...

's "Sweetheart" sample from the album ''The Descending Dudes'' and 275 more licenses issued by Harry Fox.

Discography

Albums

Album credits * I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair) - composer, publisher * ''Sweetheart'' (1987) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher * Show Me (1987) - composer, producer, publisher * ''Ouch'' (1988) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher * Best of 1987 - 1990 - The Cover Girls (1996) - composer, producer, publisher * The Greatest Hits - The Cover Girls (1998) - composer, producer, publisher * Life In 1472 - Jermaine Dupri (1998) - composer, publisher * #1's - Mariah Carey (1998) - composer, publisher * Greatest Hits - Mariah Carey (2001) - composer, publisher * The Remixes - Mariah Carey (2003) - composer, publisher * Dude Descending - Apollo 440 (2003) - composer, publisher * Sweetheart (A Story Book Romance) (2011) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher * The Essential Mariah Carey (2011) - composer, producer, publisher * Sweetheart (Collectors Edition) (2015) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher

Singles

Singles credits * "Sweetheart" (1986) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher * Lowdown So & So (1986) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher * Spring Love - The Cover Girls (1987) - composer, producer, publisher * Still Waiting (1987) - primary artist, producer * 4-Ever (1987) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher * Indian Giver (1988) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher * Ouch (1988) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher * Storybook Romance (1993) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher * Sweetheart - Jermaine Dupri (1998) - composer, publisher * Number 1's Sweetheart - Mariah Carey (1998) - composer, publisher * CC'S Mystique (2011) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Rainy Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Columbia Records artists American women singer-songwriters American singer-songwriters American contemporary R&B singers American freestyle musicians 21st-century American women