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Nashville7?

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10gallons

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Aug 25, 2009, 7:19:48 AM8/25/09
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Picked up an old album by the Nashville7. I thought I read somewhere
that they were a collection of top notch session muso's from Nashville
during the 60's. Anyone have any info on The Nashville 7???

Thanks.

OldMan Zeke

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Sep 1, 2009, 1:32:25 PM9/1/09
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Danny Davis (country musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other persons named Daniel Davis, see Daniel Davis (disambiguation).
Danny DavisBirth nameGeorge Joseph NowlanBornMay 29, 1925(1925-05-29)
Randolph, MassachusettsDiedJune 12, 2008 (aged 83)
Nashville, TennesseeGenre(s)Country, Big BandOccupation(s)Bandleader,
ProducerInstrument(s)Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Danny Davis (May 29, 1925 â€" June 12, 2008) was a band leader,
vocalist and producer and founder/leader of the Nashville Brass.
Contents
1 Early life and career
2 The MGM days
3 The move to RCA
4 Launching the Nashville Brass
5 Acceptance and success
6 Farewell to public performing
7 Later Years
8 Death
9 Discography
9.1 Albums
9.2 Singles
10 External links
[edit] Early life and career
Danny Davis was born as George Nowlan into a large Irish-Catholic family
(one of his brothers became a priest who at one time was assigned to the
Vatican). When he became a professional musician, he changed his name to
Danny Davis because MGM executive Harry Meseron told him that "he looked
like a Danny." He took the last name Davis because it was a common name
in the South.
Davis's father died when he was five years old. His mother supported the
family by giving music lessons (piano and voice) in the family home.
Davis began playing trumpet at a very early age under the guidance of a
man named Joseph Donovan. By age 14 he was trumpet soloist with the
Massachusetts All-State Symphony Orchestra and was granted admittance to
the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music. He decided to leave
the conservatory after only six weeks when he was offered a job as a
trumpeter with the band of legendary drummer, Gene Krupa (ca. 1940).
During the remainder of the 1940s and into the 1950s Davis continued
working as a trumpeter/vocalist in several big bands including the
band's of Bobby Byrne, Sammy Kaye, Art Mooney (he played First Trumpet
on Mooney's huge seller "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover"), Vincent
Lopez and Freddy Martin. In Martin's band, in addition to his duties on
trumpet, Davis sang as one of the "Martin Men" and roomed on the road
with the band's male vocalist, Merv Griffin.
[edit] The MGM days
During the early 50's Davis found some moderate success as a vocalist
releasing several singles including "Object of My Affection" and "Crazy
Heart." The late 1950s was a transitional period in Davis' career. He
found himself in New York City working as a producer for the MGM label.
He also made an important contact in Nashville with Fred Rose. Davis cut
pop demos of country songs for Rose. His demo of "Cold, Cold Heart" lead
to the pop recording by Tony Bennett.
In the early Sixties, Davis assembled a session group called "Danny
Davis & the Titans" around guitarist Bill Mure. In 1961 the group
released an instrumental album entitled, Today's Teen Beat (MGM SE
3992). A few months later, the group followed it up with an album
designed to capitalize on the "Twist" craze, with another instrumental
album entitled, Let's Do the Twist for Adults (MGM SE 3997). Six of the
Titan songs on the second album received a great deal of exposure in
1964 when MGM used them to pad-out a collection of nascent Beatles
tracks on an album called, The Beatles with Tony Sheridan & Guests (MGM
SE 4215).
While at MGM Davis was assigned to produce one of the label's most
successful artists, Connie Francis. This collaboration lead to several
number 1 hits for Francis. In the early 1960s Davis began taking Francis
to Nashville where he recorded pop versions of country songs with her.
It was during this time that his idea to record country songs with brass
instruments was born. Also during his time at MGM Davis was responsible
for bringing Herman's Hermits (featuring Peter Noone) to the label.
During his stint at MGM Davis recorded several albums with an orchestra
composed of some of the best studio musicians working in New York at the
time. Most notable among these is an album entitled "Brass on the
Rebound." This album was recorded in 1963 and featured only one woodwind
player in the orchestra. This demonstrates Davis' penchant for working
with a brass ensemble several years before he began the Nashville Brass.
In his career as a record producer Davis worked with a wide variety of
artists, from Nina Simone to Polka king Frank Yankovic. During his days
in New York he was also involved in early testing for broadcasting
television programs in color.
[edit] The move to RCA
In the mid-sixties Davis moved to the RCA label. While still in New York
he pitched his idea of recording country songs with a brass ensemble. To
say the least, the idea was not well received. Not long after he joined
RCA Davis was approved for transfer to the Nashville office by Chet
Atkins.
In Nashville, Davis was assigned to produce sessions on Waylon Jennings.
Even though it was a recording produced by Davis that earned Jennings
his first Grammy award (MacArthur Park with The Kimberly's,
http://grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results), the two men did not
have a good working relationship. It is reported that on one occasion
Jennings pulled a gun on Davis during a recording
session(http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/inductees.aspx?cid=131#),
but Davis denies the incident ever took place. Davis also worked with
other RCA artists including Dottie West, Floyd Cramer and Hank Locklin.
[edit] Launching the Nashville Brass
One evening Davis was in the office of his boss, Chet Atkins. He decided
to pitch Chet his idea of recording country songs with brass
instruments. Davis was surprised when Atkins told him he thought it was
a good idea. In fact, Davis told Atkins that the RCA label executives in
New York had thought it was a "terrible idea." Atkins told Davis, "young
fella, I run Nashville, go do it." The only suggestion Atkins made was
instead of calling the group "Country Brass" he thought Davis should
call it "Nashville Brass."
Davis immediately went to work on a demo. He chose Nashville arranger
and fellow trumpeter, Bill McElhiney, to help create the sound of the
Nashville Brass. The basic idea was to replace the vocalist with a brass
ensemble (two to three trumpets, two trombones) playing over a standard
country rhythm section (guitar, bass, drums, banjo).
For his recordings, Davis assembled a rhythm section of Nashville's "A"
list musicians: Grady Martin (guitar), Floyd Cramer (piano), Bob Moore
(bass), Buddy Harmon (drums), Bobby Thompson (banjo), John Hartford
(banjo). When completed, Atkins hand carried the demo (Hank Williams' "I
Saw The Light") to a meeting of RCA executives in California. In October
1968 the first album "The Nashville Brass Play The Nashville Sound" was
released. The first album was followed by "The Nashville Brass featuring
Danny Davis Play More Nashville Sounds" in 1969.
[edit] Acceptance and success
With the release of the first two albums, the group quickly found an
audience with music fans. Most important was the acceptance of the
Country Music fans whom Davis had been told, "don't like horns." In 1970
the second album received the Grammy for Best Country Instrumental
Performance. Beginning in 1969 and continuing for the next five years
Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass dominated the Country Music
Association Awards Best Instrumental Group category. Over the years The
group garnered eleven more Grammy nominations and received many other
awards from recording industry publications and associations.
Also in 1970 Davis changed his relationship with RCA in that he ceased
to produce other artists so he could concentrate all his energies on the
Nashville Brass.
Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass literally took Country Music around
the world, being one of the first acts in the genre to have their own
airplane (originally a DC-3 later a Martin 404, named "Lady Barbara" for
Davis' wife). They were also one of the first Country acts to take the
music to the Vegas strip working first as an opening act for Connie
Francis and later Kay Starr, they soon returned to headline. The group
also guest starred on many of the biggest television shows of the day
including Red Skelton, Ed Sullivan and the show of his old friend, Merv
Griffin.
In the 1980s Davis joined the cast of Hee Haw as a member of the
"Million Dollar Band" with fellow instrumentalists Floyd Cramer, Chet
Atkins, Boots Randolph, Roy Clark (guitar), Charlie McCoy (harmonica),
Johnny Gimble (fiddle) and Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns (mandolin).
Davis and his group maintained a heavy touring schedule well into the
1990s. In the mid-90's Davis partnered with his old friend, Boots
Randolph, opening the Stardust Theater in Nashville (near the Opryland
Hotel). The two performed shows nightly for a couple of years.
For the majority of his touring years, Davis retained on salary a fairly
consistent personnel line-up. Among those musicians were: Bill Pippin
(trumpet/flugelhorn/flute); Ray Carroll (trumpet/flugelhorn); Rex Peer
(trombone); Phil Jones (bass trombone), Jones replaced the band's
original bass trombonist, Frank Smith, after Smith's untimely death in a
motorcycle accident; Larry Morton (guitar); Chuck Sanders (bass); Terry
Waddell (drums); Curtis McPeake (banjo).
[edit] Farewell to public performing
Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass gave their final public performance
on July 23, 2005 at the Colonnade in Ringgold, GA. Davis was eighty
years old at the time. The group performed two shows and received
standing ovations for each. The first aircraft Danny Davis has was a
Howard Super Ventura which wasn't really Danny's aircraft it belonged to
Hank Williams Jr. The Second aircraft is correct.
[edit] Later Years
After Davis retired from performing, he and his wife of fifty-seven
years, Barbara continued to make Nashville their home. The couple has
four children: Kerry, Kim, Gavin and Tara. Danny and former Nashville
Brass trumpeter, Ray Carroll, began a mail-order business selling
Nashville Brass recordings on the internet. Carroll continues to operate
this enterprise. Also, at the time of his death Davis and writer Thom
King had nearly completed an autobiography tentatively titled "Guess Who
I Met Today."
[edit] Death
Davis died on Thursday, June 12, 2008 at the age of 83 after suffering a
heart attack at his home in Nashville, Tennessee on June 7, 2008.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
YearAlbumChart PositionsLabelUS CountryUS1968The Nashville Brass Play
The Nashville Sound3378RCA1969The Nashville Brass featuring Danny Davis
Play More Nashville Sounds6143Movin On161411970You Ain't Heard Nothin'
Yet9102Christmas with Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass11Down
Homers11140Hank Locklin & Danny Davis and the Nashville
Brass1971Somethin' Else12161Super Country251841972Nashville Brass Turns
to Gold25Live in Person35Turn on Some Happy341931973Travelin'Caribbean
Cruise441974The Best of Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass22Danny
Davis' Nashville Brass Bluegrass Country23Latest and Greatest341975Dream
Country41Country Gold351976Texas43Supersongs46America 200 Years
Young1977Chet Floyd & Danny46Live! In Vegas1978How I Love Them Ol'
SongsCookin' Country1979Great Songs of the Big Band Era1980Danny Davis &
Willie Nelson with the Nashville Brass141501981Cotton Eyed Joe
[edit] Singles
YearSingleUS CountryAlbum1970"Please Help Me, I'm Falling" (with Hank
Locklin)68Hank Locklin & Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass"Wabash
Cannon Ball"63Movin' On"Flying South" (with Hank Locklin)56Hank Locklin
& Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass"Columbus Stockade Blues"70You
Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet1977"How I Love Them Old Songs"91How I Love Them
Old Songs1980"Night Life" (with Willie Nelson)20Danny Davis & Willie
Nelson with the Nashville Brass"Funny How Time Slips Away" (with Willie
Nelson)411985"I Dropped Your Name"82singles only1987"Green Eyes (Cryin'
Those Blue Tears)" (with Dona Mason)62
[edit] External links
Nashville Brass
Retrieved from
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Davis_(country_musician)"
Categories: 1925 births | 2008 deaths | People from Boston,
Massachusetts | People from Randolph, Massachusetts | American country
singers | Grammy Award winners | Liberty Records artists | RCA Victor
Records artists | Deaths from myocardial infarction
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