A great pop artist of the 1970s/80s...
From oldiesmusic.com, and from two Meridian news sources :-[ :
Paul Davis, known for his two top ten hits-- "I Go Crazy" (#7-1977) and "'65 Love Affair" (#6-1982), died Monday night at his home in Meridian, Missisippi, on his 60th birthday.
Born in Meridian in 1948, Paul first recorded there in 1966 with the Six Soul Survivors (later known as the Endless Chain). After working as a songwriter for Malaco Records, he was signed as a solo singer to Bang Records in 1969. A re-recording of the Jarmels' "A Little Bit Of Soap" (written by Bang's co-owner, Bert Berns) in 1970, got to #52.
Over the next seven years, Paul managed to chart, but had no real hits-- his biggest success coming from "Ride 'Em Cowboy" (#23) in 1975 and "Superstar" (#35) the following year. Even "I Go Crazy" was not an immediate hit, spending a then-record 40 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100. It led to a string of other hits though, including "Sweet Life" (#17-1978), "Do Right" (#23-1980) and "Cool Night" (#11-1982)-- all written by Paul himself. Paul was the victim of a shooting during a robbery outside a Nashville hotel in 1986.
Though at one time he was in critical condition, he survived, and scored two #1 country hits with "You're Still New To Me" (a duet with Marie Osmond) in 1986 and "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love" (recorded with Tanya Tucker and Paul Overstreet).
From oldiesmusic.com, and from two Meridian news sources :-[ :
Paul Davis, known for his two top ten hits-- "I Go Crazy" (#7-1977) and "'65 Love Affair" (#6-1982), died Monday night at his home in Meridian, Missisippi, on his 60th birthday.
Born in Meridian in 1948, Paul first recorded there in 1966 with the Six Soul Survivors (later known as the Endless Chain). After working as a songwriter for Malaco Records, he was signed as a solo singer to Bang Records in 1969. A re-recording of the Jarmels' "A Little Bit Of Soap" (written by Bang's co-owner, Bert Berns) in 1970, got to #52.
Over the next seven years, Paul managed to chart, but had no real hits-- his biggest success coming from "Ride 'Em Cowboy" (#23) in 1975 and "Superstar" (#35) the following year. Even "I Go Crazy" was not an immediate hit, spending a then-record 40 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100. It led to a string of other hits though, including "Sweet Life" (#17-1978), "Do Right" (#23-1980) and "Cool Night" (#11-1982)-- all written by Paul himself. Paul was the victim of a shooting during a robbery outside a Nashville hotel in 1986.
Though at one time he was in critical condition, he survived, and scored two #1 country hits with "You're Still New To Me" (a duet with Marie Osmond) in 1986 and "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love" (recorded with Tanya Tucker and Paul Overstreet).
