Vernon "Geater" Davis (January 29, 1946 – September 29, 1984) was an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

singer and songwriter. He has been described as "one of the South's great lost soul singers, an impassioned stylist whose voice was a combination of sweetness and sandpaper grit." Biography at Allmusic.com by Steve Huey/ref>

Life and career

Davis was born in

Kountze Kountze ( ) is a city in Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,981 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Hardin County. The city is part of the Beaumont– Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. Kountze was ori ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, the youngest of five children born to the late DeWitt and Cornella Davis (1908–1996). In the late 1960s he was heard performing, along with Reuben Bell, by record producer Allen Orange. Orange arranged for them to record in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, and started his own House of Orange label to release their output. Geater's first release, "Sweet Woman's Love", in 1970, reached # 45 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

. His follow-up singles on the House of Orange label, including "I Can Hold My Own" and "Best Of Luck To You", were less commercially successful, but he recorded an album, ''Sweet Woman's Love'', which is now considered a classic of the

deep soul Southern soul is a type of soul music that emerged from the Southern United States. The music originated from a combination of styles, including blues (both 12 bar and jump), country, early R&B, and a strong gospel influence that emanated fr ...

genre. He often wrote or co-wrote his own material.Geater Davis at SirShambling.com
/ref> After Orange closed his label in 1972, Davis recorded for the Luna label, and then for

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's 77 label, where several of his recordings such as "I'm Gonna Change" and "A Whole Lot Of Man" were made at the

FAME Studios FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) Studios is a recording studio located at 603 East Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, an area of northern Alabama known as the Shoals. Though small and distant from the main recording locations of th ...

Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...

. His 1973 single, "Your Heart Is So Cold" reached # 64 on the R&B chart. During his career, Davis was often compared to fellow blues singer, and good friend, Bobby Blue Bland, because of their similar voice and vocal styling, but Davis' vocals were heavier and darker in tone. Also, Davis played guitar in the studio, as well as live, something Bland did not do. However, Davis' records did not generally sell well, despite heavy touring on the blues and

chitlin circuit The Chitlin' Circuit was a collection of performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper Midwest areas of the United States that provided commercial and cultural acceptance for African American musicians, comedians, and other enterta ...

s. He recorded for the Ace label in the mid 1970s, and later issued some disco singles on the revitalised House Of Orange label. In 1981 he joined the MT label run by James Bennett in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, which issued several singles and an album, ''Better Days''. Davis died of a heart attack in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas in 1984 at the age of 42. Leaving behind his wife Lula Davis his two daughters Vernecia Davis, Laquita Davis and stepdaughter Sandra Darby in 1985, as a tribute to his friend, Bobby Blue Bland re-recorded two of Davis' most popular tracks on his Members Only album, Sweet Woman's Love, and I've Just Got To Know. In 1998, West Side Records released ''Sadder Shades of Blue: The Southern Soul Sessions 1971–76'', a compilation covering most of his recordings other than those for House of Orange. His remaining material, ''I'll Play The Blues For You: The Legendary House Of Orange Sessions'', was released in 2008.

Discography

Singles

* Sweet Woman's Love / Don't Marry A Fool (House Of Orange 2401, 1970) * My Love Is So Strong For You / I Can Hold My Own (House Of Orange 2402, 1971) * For Your Precious Love* / Wrapped Up In You (House Of Orange 2405, 1971) * Best Of Luck To You / I Know (My Baby Loves Me) (House Of Orange 2407, 1971) * I'm Gonna Change / I've Got To Pay The Price (Luna 801, 1972) * Don't Walk Off (And Leave Me) / I Don't Worry (About Jody) (Luna 804, 1972) * Long Cold Winter / Why Does It Hurt So Bad (Seventy Seven 124, 1973) * Your Heart Is So Cold / You Made Your Bed Hard (Seventy Seven 130, 1973) * I'm Gonna Change / I've Got To Pay The Price (Seventy Seven 136, 1973) * Nice and Easy / Strange Sensation (Ace 3006, 1974) * I’ll Play the Blues for You / My Love is So Strong for You (Odds and Ends 7600, 1975) * Tired of Busting My Brain / There's Got to Be Some Changes Made (Ace 3019, 1976) * Cold Love / Short version (House of Orange 2410, 1977) * Disco Music / I’ll Play the Blues for You (House of Orange 79100, 1979) * Wherever You Are / Pt 2 (Sun Belt 7179, 1979) * Right Back For More / Pt 2 (MT 001, 1981) * I'll Take Care of You / Right Back For More (MT 002, 1981) * Booty Music / Breath Taking Girl (House of Orange 2615, 1982) * Don't Give Up / Better Days (MT 005, 1983) * Baby Love / Go Your Way (MT 007, 1983)

Albums

:''Sweet Woman’s Love'' (House of Orange 6000, 1971) :''Better Days'' (MT LP 0001, 1983)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Geater American soul musicians Musicians from Texas 1946 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American musicians People from Kountze, Texas