(c’61-date) Billie Davis (singer)
Born Carol Hedges in Woking, Robert Stigwood suggested the performing name Billie (Holliday)/(Sammy) Davis (Jr.). Backed by the Rebel Rousers she won a talent contest at Southall Community Centre singing Connie Francis’ “Many Tears Ago”; and subsequently teamed up with The Tornados to record a few demo tracks for Joe Meek, signing to Decca.
In August ’62 “Will I What” [Parlophone R4932] was released on which she performed with Mike Sarne, which reached No.18 in the UK Singles Chart. Her biggest success came early the next year with a cover of The Exciters’ “Tell Him” [Decca F11572], peaking at No.10. The promotion for “Tell Him” had Davis in Package Tours with the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. This was followed by “He’s The One” [Decca F11658] which barely made the Top 40.
Davis went on an All-Stars Package Tour with Mike Sarne, John Leyton, Mike Berry, Don Spencer, The Innocents, Jet Harris & Tony Meehan, Billy Doyle, Duffy Power, Grazina, The X-L Five, and Bick Ford across the end April and through May ’63. On Saturday morning’s the BBC broadcast Saturday Club, a show of predominantly pre-recorded “live” performances. Davis recorded tracks for Episode 239, 252, and 272, broacast on 27 April, 27 July, and 14 December ’63 respectively. The then 17-year-old, Davis split from Decca and moved to Columbia and got involved with married ex-Shadows bassist Jet Harris. In September, while returning from a gig their chauffeured car crashed into a bus, breaking Davis’ jaw and Harris received head injuries. The press focused on the “scandalous” side of the story, while Davis was unable to work for months due to the injuries received. But the photogenic, bobbed, long booted, leather mini wearing Davis would be back.
One of those package tours, the All Stars ’64 tour, headlined by John Leyton, along with Mike Sarne, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Rolling Stones, Don Spencer, Billy Boyle, Mike Berry and The Innocents, and Jet Harris, bought Billie Davis and the Le Roys close to her hometown when it hit the Odeon, Guildford on 12 February ’64. She returned to BBC Radio 1’s Saturday Club on 13 June ’64 (Episode 298).
Davies changed label from Columbia to Pye Records and released a Burt Bacharach number on 19 March ’65. The next month she appeared on Radio Luxembourg’s ‘Ready, Steady, Radio!’ with The Temptations and The Zephyrs on 3 April ’65. There was another appearance on Episode 369 of Saturday Club which went out on 30 October ’65.
Early in ’66, Episode 380 of Saturday Club, broadcast on 15 Jan ’66, carried a Davis session. Also, in ’66, the duo called Keith and Billie formed and signed onto the Piccadilly record label. Together Keith Powell, of The Valets, and Davis released three singles including “Swingin’ Tight”, but without chart success the pairing dissolved. Dhe was back on the Saturday Club on 11 June ’66 (Episode 401). Peter Simensky, of The Manchester Playboys, recalls Davis working at The Scotch of St James, Mayfair around July ’67 when they were gigging in London. Back on Decca, Davis recorded several singles, including “Angel of the Morning”, in ’67, backed by Kiki Dee, Madeline Bell, Doris Troy, Kay Garner, The Moody Blues and P. P. Arnold.
Northern soul-esque “I Want You to Be My Baby” was Davis’ last charting single, topping out at No.33 in October ’68, possibly aided by an appearance on Saturday Club, Episode 517 on 31 August ’68 and Episode 526 on 2 November ’68.
She left Decca again on ’71, after the release of an eponymous LP in ’70. The recording didn’t stop however, with a number of releases on several different labels and touring too, with “I Want You to Be My Baby” doing well in Spain; well enough for a Spanish language version to be recorded and released.
In ’93, Davis was part of the Telstar Tour which visited Guildford on 25 February. Spanish TV aired her performing a cover of The Moody Blues “Nights in White Satin”, which also charted in Spain. A cover of Burt Bacharach’s “The Last One to Be Loved” appeared on the “Trains & Boats & Covers” compilation LP. Teaming up with Albert Lee in ’99, they created and released “Stormy”, an LP of Davis’ own songs. A retrospective collection of recordings, titled “The Decca Years” was released in 2005 and in January 2021, Davis was featured in The Beat magazine.
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