Betty Davis dead: Funk singer and ex-wife of Miles Davis dies aged 77
dailyrecord.co.ukIconic funk singer Betty Davis has died at the age of 77. The American soul singer's death was confirmed by friend Danielle Maggio to Rolling Stone.
Amie Downs, communications director for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, where Davis lived, said that Betty died from 'natural causes', New York Post reports.
The 77-year-old was known for hits such as Get Ready for Betty, It’s My Life, If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up between 1964 and 1975.Betty was singer Miles Davis' second wife after they tied the knot in 1968, Miles was 19 years older than Betty when they were husband and wife.Their marriage only lasted a year and they ended their partnership in 1969 but during their romance they made music together.Jazz icon Miles hoped the demos they made together would lead to an album deal for Betty - but they did not and the music was only released in 2016.After the breakup of their marriage, Betty moved to London to pursue a career as a model in the early 1970s.She then went back to America began recording music with a group of West Coast funk musicians that included Sly And The Family Stone producer Greg Errico.Other artists, she worked with included Larry Graham and Merl Saunders.Davis released her self-titled debut album for Woodstock promoter Michael Lang's Just Sunshine Records in 1973, with two more studio albums in They Say I'm Different (1974) and the Island Records-released Nasty Gal (1975) following in the years after.None of those albums had significant commercial successes, but Davis had lots of fans due to her openly sexual lyrics and performance style.Her style led to her being banned from performing on mainstream television in the US.She retired from performing and making music in the late 1970s and lived a
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