Funk and soul singer Betty Davis passed away yesterday at the age of 77, it was announced today. She did not achieve commercial success with her albums, but she did become a fashion icon. She also fought for equal rights for women. According to the music magazine Rolling Stone, she died of natural causes.
Well-known artists, such as Lenny Kravitz, have praised the singer on Twitter:
The ex-wife of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, to whom she was married for only a year, was mainly musically active in the 60s and 70s. She released three albums. Her most famous songs are They Say I’m Different and Nasty Gal† She wrote a number of songs herself; the lyrics were often controversial and idiosyncratic.
According to international media, she was open-minded and ahead of her time. That was not always appreciated in America at the time. Some radio stations and television stations refused to play her songs. She was the first black woman to receive recognition for writing and producing some of her own songs, the BBC writes.
Betty Davis sings If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up:
Davis was born in North Carolina as Betty Mabry. As a teenager she moved to New York and worked there as a model. Later she met guitarist Jimi Hendrix and other well-known artists. Her candid attitude made her an example for many artists, including Prince, he said in a 2012 interview: “This is what we strive for,” he says when he plays one of her songs.
For years, the singer was little heard. In 2019 she wrote and produced the song A Little Bit Hot Tonightwhich was sung by Danielle Maggio.