A portrait of Davis Davis was taken on October 12, 1981.

CBS Photo Archive by Getty Images / CBS

Hide

Tuggle caption

CBS Photo Archive by Getty Images / CBS

A portrait of Davis Davis was taken on October 12, 1981.

CBS Photo Archive by Getty Images / CBS

Songwriter and artist Mac Davis, who made his debut in music and entertainment in the early 1960s, died Tuesday in Nashville after undergoing heart surgery. His death was confirmed by his manager Jim Moore. He was 78 years old.

Davis’ songwriting work was recorded by dozens of artists, including Nancy Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Dolly Lee Parton, Johnny Cash, Reba McCantry, Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers, Merle Haggard and more. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, Jorgia Music Hall of Fame and was a recipient of the BMI Icon Award. In all, he released 19 albums in the 25 years since the 1970s Song illustrator And with the end of 1994 Will write songs for food.

Davis was born on January 21, 1942, in Texas. At age 16, after graduating from high school, Davis moved to Atlanta with his mother, Edith. It was there, around the age of 20, that Davis began performing in bands and writing songs while working as a “Promotion Man” for record labels, trying to secure radio play for their release. His work in that capacity for Liberty Records eventually landed him in orbit in Los Angeles and Nancy Sinatra, who then hired him to write songs for her and her company.

After writing for the pop community in and around Sinatra, Davis’ songs caught the attention of Elvis Presley, who was having fun returning. The combination found many hits, including “In the Ghetto,” “Memories,” and “Don’t Cry Daddy.” (The first recording of the 1968 Davis song “A Little Les Conversation” and co-written with arranger and producer Billy Strange was not an immediate success but reached No. 1 in the UK in remixes by Junky. XL.) Glenn Campbell, Dolly Lee Parton, Bobby Golds And Kenny Rogers and First Edition then found success in Davis Pendent works.

In the ’70s, Davis began developing his career as a recording artist, receiving a Grammy nomination for the 1972 chart-topper “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me”. In the middle of the decade, Davis was an ubiquitous figure in American popular life, hosting a variety of shows of his own (like Sony and Cher, Johnny Cash and many others); Closer to him, he also started appearing in films.

Nick Nolte and Davis Davis in one scene of the film North Dallas Forty Since 1979.

Michael Och Archives / Getty Images

Hide

Tuggle caption

Michael Och Archives / Getty Images

Nick Nolte and Davis Davis in one scene of the film North Dallas Forty Since 1979.

Michael Och Archives / Getty Images

Davis’ songwriting career peaked in the ’70s, but his personal recording career peaked in the’ 80s on the heels of hits such as’ It’s Hard to Be Humble ‘(song “cited” by Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna).Loyalty“) And” Texas in My Rearview Mirror. “

As he sang in the next song, “I thank God every day for giving me music and words to say.” In a statement, his family confirmed that he would be buried in Lubbak, Blue Jeans, Texas, according to the song’s final lines.