The original "funk diva", singer, songwriter, and model, Betty Davis, brought a raw sexuality, talent, grit and charisma that took the New York 1960-70’s music scene by storm.
Who is Betty (Mabry) Davis?
Talented, precocious, driven, and beautiful, by age 16 Betty moved from Homestead, PA to New York City where she lived with her aunt to study fashion. It was the mid-1960’s and she naturally gravitated to Greenwich Village finding herself at the center of a multicultural art and music scene.
In New York, she frequented The Cellar and hung with the greatest talents of her time, Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. These friendships and the magic manifested would change Rock 'n' Roll and make it a whole lot funkier.
Betty’s raw talent, sense of self, presence, and shameless sexuality would disrupt the trajectory of fashion and music in the emerging funk scene. While she modeled and was a regular in Seventeen Magazine she was also innately aware that beauty fades while talent and originality prevail. Betty’s talents were real, from the heart, and her songwriting came naturally.
While she was known for her controversial, sexually charged lyrics and performance style, it was her short-lived marriage and influence on jazz legend Miles Davis that would cement Betty’s role as the original Funk Diva.
Miles & Betty
Betty began a whirlwind affair with Miles Davis in early 1968, they married and were divorced by 1969. In Miles’ words, "I'm just not the kind of cat to be married." That may be an understatement. Their tumultuous, abusive relationship was fraught with jealousy and drugs. Drugs were never Betty’s thing and she managed to steer clear despite the scene and Miles' focus on chasing dope.
It was not all bad as history will tell. It is Betty who introduced Miles to psychedelic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix and funk innovator Sly Stone whose influence was undeniable on the 1970 album, Bitches Brew.
In his autobiography, Miles credited Betty with his transition into funk inspired, jazz fusion and dedicated his 1968 album, Filles de Kilimanjaro to her.
Betty’s influence on Miles, Sly and Jimi would change music and funk fashion forever.
Cultural Icon & Funk Diva:
"indomitable – she couldn't be tamed. Musically, philosophically and physically, she was extreme and attractive." ~ Carlos Santana
After the end of her marriage, Betty moved to London to pursue her modeling career. She returned to the US with the intention of recording songs with Carlos Santana but ended up recording her original songs with a group of West Coast funk musicians notably Larry Graham, Greg Errico, the Pointer Sisters and Tower of Power.
While Davis’s albums were not commercially successful, her deeply sexual lyrics and raw, raspy voice cemented her as a cultural funk icon. Betty never thought she was a good singer, but her songwriting voice, grit, confidence and sexual presence made it very hard to look away.
Davis remained a cult figure, due in part to her controversial and unabashedly sexual lyrics and performance style.
While a success in Europe, in the U.S. her shows were boycotted and she was barred from performing on television due to her sexually aggressive stage persona. Pressured by religious groups and the NAACP, her songs were not played on the radio.
After her father died, she went back to Homestead, PA to care for her mother. She would disappear for the next 40 years. When documentary filmmaker Phil Cox tracked Betty down he found her living in the basement of a house with no internet, cell phone, or car. She died in 2022 of cancer at the age 77.
Phil Cox’s 2017 independent documentary; Betty Davis: “They Say I’m Different”, brings back to life this cultural icon. Betty's strength, fearless voice, and ability to break cultural stigmas puts her among my top female role models. Like so many that came before and after, Betty was ostracized from community and Country.
Defying cultural stigmas seldom comes easy in one's lifetime. Betty broke down cultural stereo types about what it is to be a woman. This is progress.
Tanya’s Tips: Check out oOYes Groovy Tunes for my 7 favorite Betty Davis songs guaranteed to get you in the groove and dial in Sexy Time.
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