27th
Betty Davis: One mean funkin’ lady
There are many funk gems lost to near obscurity over the last 40 years. Betty was almost one of them, if not for Light In the Attic Records. Her debut album, Betty Davis, was re-released in 2007. Featuring members of Sly & the Family Stone (obvious from the distinctive Larry Graham sound), Graham Central Station, Santana, and Tower of Power, Betty had assembled an allstar lineup of funkstas to lay her gritty, RAW, scratchy, and deep vocals down. At times sounding a bit like George Clinton, imitated by Macy Gray, Betty Davis has an unmistakenly strong voice.
It must have been hard to live in the shadows of the great Miles Davis, a marriage which didn’t last long, but had lasting effects on Miles. Whatever the reason for me to have never heard anything by this mean funkin’ lady is a mystery. This is not disco funk. This is not weak, airy R&B type “funk”. Betty Davis is real. Check her out.
