Dennis Davis (August 28, 1951 – April 6, 2016) was an American drummer and

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

best known for his work with

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, playing on ten albums—including seven successive studio albums—during the singer's classic mid- and late- seventies period, and on many hit singles, starting with " Fame" (1975).

Early life and military service

Davis was born and raised in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, New York City, and studied with drummers

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

and

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...

before joining the

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American Swing music, swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948� ...

Big Band in 1967. He joined the U.S. Navy and served on the USS Rowan (DD-782) from 1969 to 1970 during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. He was discharged from the U.S Navy in 1970 in San Diego, California. He was wounded during his military service, but was able to hone his skills when he performed as part of the US Navy's Drum and Bugle Corps.

Career

Davis met guitarist

Carlos Alomar Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any other musician. History The son of a Pentecostal mi ...

when they were both playing with

Roy Ayers Roy Edward Ayers Jr. (September 10, 1940 – March 4, 2025) was an American vibraphonist, record producer, and composer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several studio albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure ...

. Davis was hired by David Bowie in 1974 for two tracks on ''

Young Americans ''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. A departure from the glam rock style of previous albums, the record showcased Bowie's interest in soul and R&B. ...

''. Alomar, Davis and George Murray formed the "D.A.M. Trio"

rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm ...

which performed on seven successive albums released by Bowie in the 1970s, all of which are regarded as amongst the artist's best. Davis also played on three live albums recorded during that period, two of which were released after Bowie's death. The snare sound used on Bowie's '' Low'' album is considered influential on many later records. It was the result of early pitch shifting technology coupled with Davis's sensitive touch as a performer. In the late seventies Davis also teamed up with

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

and worked on four albums over the following decade. In the early 2000s, he played percussion on David Bowie's live tours, including the artist's last,

A Reality Tour A Reality Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie in support of his 2003 album ''Reality''. The tour began on 7 October 2003 at the Forum Copenhagen, Denmark, continuing through Europe, North America, Asi ...

, in 2003. The drummer for that band was

Sterling Campbell Sterling Campbell (born May 3, 1964) is an American drummer and songwriter who has worked with numerous high-profile acts, including the B-52s, Duran Duran, Soul Asylum, Cyndi Lauper, Nena, Grayson Hugh, Spandau Ballet, Gustavo Cerati, and David ...

, who was previously a student of Davis.

Death, tributes and sons

Davis died on April 6, 2016, of cancer. His youngest son, Hikaru Davis, made a series of interview videos from 2016 to 2019 speaking with musicians who knew his father. When interviewed,

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

played Davis' drum and "thunderous" conga tracks from "

Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...

", periodically exclaiming "great!", "amazing!", "that's killer!", and noting that Davis "plays so many things at once... and yet it doesn't sound busy". The accompanying review says that Davis is "that most perfect of drummers too: endlessly inventive, yet never gets in the way of the funk." T-Bone Motta, an older son, has been the drummer for

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

since 2012.

Selective discography

With

*''Red, Black and Green'' (1973) *'' Coffy'' (1973) *''Virgo Red'' (1973) *''A Tear to a Smile'' (1975) *''

Vibrations Vibration () is a mechanical phenomenon whereby oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. Vibration may be deterministic if the oscillations can be characterised precisely (e.g. the periodic motion of a pendulum), or random if the oscill ...

'' (1976) *''Step in to Our Life'' (1978) *''

You Send Me "You Send Me" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer Sam Cooke, released as a single in 1957 by Keen Records. Produced by Bumps Blackwell and arranged and conducted by René Hall. The song, Cooke's debut single, was a massi ...

'' (1978) – "Can't You See Me" *'' No Stranger to Love'' (1979) *''I'm the One for Your Love Tonight'' (1987) *''Wake Up'' (1989) *''Double Trouble'' (1992) *''Good Vibrations'' (1993) *''The Essential Groove – Live'' (1994) *''Naste′'' (1995) *''Mahogany Vibe'' (2004) With

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

*''

Good King Bad ''Good King Bad'' is the thirteenth studio album by American guitarist George Benson featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released by CTI Records in 1976.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 24, 2012 Reception The Allmusic r ...

'' (1975) – "Shell of a Man" *'' Pacific Fire'' (1983) With

*''

'' (1975) – "Across the Universe", "Fame" *''

Station to Station ''Station to Station'' is the tenth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 23 January 1976 through RCA Records. Regarded as one of his most significant works, the album was the vehicle for Bowie's performance perso ...

'' (1976) *'' Low'' (1977) *'' "Heroes"'' (1977) *''

Stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

'' (1978) *'' Lodger'' (1979) *'' Scary Monsters'' (1980) *''

Live Nassau Coliseum '76 ''Live Nassau Coliseum '76'' is a live album by David Bowie recorded on 23 March 1976 during Bowie's Isolar – 1976 Tour, Isolar Tour in support of the album ''Station to Station''. The recording was first released in September 2010, as part of ...

'' (2017) *''

Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78) ''Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)'' is a live album by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, recorded on the Isolar II – The 1978 World Tour, Isolar II Tour. It had a limited vinyl release on 21 April 2018 for Record Store Day. ...

'' (2018) *''Live in Berlin 978L.P.'' (2018) *'' I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)'' (2020) With

Zachary Breaux Zachary Charles Breaux (June 26, 1960 – February 20, 1997)Mark Gilbert: 'Breaux, Zachary', ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed November 5, 2007), was an American jazz guitarist who was influenced by George Benson and Wes Montgome ...

*''Groovin'' (1992) With

Ronnie Foster Ronnie Foster (born May 12, 1950) is an American funk and soul jazz organist, and record producer. His albums recorded for Blue Note Records in the 1970s have gained a cult following after the emergence of acid jazz. Early life Foster was born ...

*''

Cheshire Cat The Cheshire Cat ( ) is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll in ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and known for its distinctive mischievous grin. While now most often used in ''Alice''-related contexts, the association of a "Chesh ...

'' (1975) *''Love Satellite'' (1978) *''Delight'' (1979) With

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine LaJuane Jacksun (né Jackson; born December 11, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter and bassist. He is known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of the ...

*'' Let's Get Serious'' (1980) – "Let's Get Serious", "Where Are You Now", "You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me" With

Garland Jeffreys Garland Jeffreys (born June 29, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter in rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul music. Career Jeffreys is from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, of African American and Puerto Rican heritage. He majored in art histo ...

*'' Guts for Love'' (1982) With

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

*''

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform ) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–1869. The titl ...

'' (1977) With

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

*'' Where There's Smoke...'' (1979) – "I Love the Nearness of You" With

*'' Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants"'' (1979) – "A Seed's a Star/Tree Medley" *'' Hotter than July'' (1980) – "Did I Hear You Say You Love Me", "As If You Read My Mind", "Master Blaster (Jammin')" *'' Original Musiquarium I'' (1982) – "Do I Do" *'' Characters'' (Motown, 1987) – "Free" with Jephté Guillaume & the Tet Kale Orkestra

References

External links

Dennis Davis website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Dennis 1951 births 2016 deaths African-American drummers American session musicians Musicians from Manhattan American rock drummers United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War American funk drummers Rhythm and blues drummers Soul drummers Stevie Wonder Deaths from cancer in the United States United States Navy sailors American male drummers Drummers from New York City