Hey, Mr. Davis.
“That hillbilly you liked died?”
Yeah.
“Bunch of other motherfuckers, too.”
Yeah.
“Shit ain’t right.”
Nope.
“If you’re feeling bad, you can look at me for a while.”
It’s a good picture.
“Yeah. I’m in it.”
Yes, sir.
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Her music is really cool. Betty Mabry(professionally Betty Davis) was ahead of her time. Actually that time might not have happened yet. The tracks are stark and relentlessly groove. It’s nearly impossible to find any live footage of her, but she dressed in lingerie & other titillating clothing far before it was normal for a singer to do so in the mid 70’s. America was just not ready for an overtly strong & sexual black woman. Betty Davis was infinitely more talented than Beyonce, but it’s far harder road to travel when you are a prophetess. In life timing is a good portion of your fortune.
I always thought this track kicked ass. When I first heard in the 80’s I thought the Stones ripped the groove for Slave from it(unlike the public & record companies, musicians were really into Betty Davis) She wrote & produced this track which was anomalous for any woman to do in the 70’s. The music industry was definitely a boy’s club at that point and they preferred their women to be subservient. Not Betty:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhHloy7DN1A
This track is from her first LP that was produced by Sly & the Family Stone drummer Gregg Errico and featured Larry Graham & Neal Schon. I love her stark grooves and sense of economy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgmc6-L81bE
Another snippet from a BBC documentary I never saw. A decade ago people began to figure out that Betty Davis was actually a major talent nearly 3 decades after she completely disappeared. I was way into Miles Davis, so I had to check out Betty Davis. I think she had an impact on Miles’s 70’s musings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtInpDRchM0
He Was a Big Freak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrey1g-Qogg
the wrong thin’. bad cutting & pasting. sorrows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG3oTUZILj0
The photo was taken at the 1970 IoW festival by my Father in Law Charles Everest. Check out further images here: http://www.cameronlife.co.uk
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