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

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

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 and the county seat of Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,981 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Beaumont– Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. Kountze was originally estab ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, 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 Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

, 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 ''

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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 genre. He often wrote or co-wrote his own material.Geater Davis
''Sirshambling.com'' After Orange closed his label in 1972, Davis recorded for the Luna label, and then for John Richbourg'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, United States, an area of northern Alabama known as the Shoals. Though small and distant from the main recording l ...

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

. 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 circuits. He recorded for the Ace label in the mid 1970s, and later issued some

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

singles on the revitalised House Of Orange label. In 1981 he joined the MT label run by James Bennett in

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

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Texas, in 1984 at the age of 38, leaving behind his wife, Lula Davis; his two daughters Vernecia and 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 Davis' 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 1946 births 1984 deaths American soul musicians Musicians from Texas 20th-century American musicians People from Kountze, Texas