As with most white kids growing up on a healthy diet of rock and roll, my introduction to funk was Funkadelic. Not just the intensity of “Maggot Brain,” which I wrote about in an earlier piece entitled ‘Hazel’s Lament’. What I loved about Funkadelic is they blended heavy Hendrix-infused, distorted guitar rock with their funk, which appealed to my teenage music tastes.
The first song I heard from the Queen of Funk, Betty Davis, was her sassy “Anti Love Song” when I was probably eighteen. Not only did her attitude stand out, but the driving bass line that propels the song hit me square in the face. It was a musical moment that made me take immediate notice, and I knew I had to discover more from her. In the 1980s, finding Betty’s albums, however, wasn’t easy. Eventually, I did manage to track them down well before their prices soared due to her now cult status.
Betty Davis’ albums are brimful of gritty, infectious, hard funk. Her style is uncompromisingly raw, soulful, and unapologetically erotic. Davis’ lyrics are often referenced for their candid, bold, provocative, and sexually charged nature. She tackled sex head-on and was proud to display her liberation in a flamboyant manner. Funk House, the group she recorded with, included musicians from Sly & The Family Stone, Herbie Hancock’s band, Buddy Miles, Santana, Merl Saunders, The Pointer Sisters, Azteca, and Tower of Power. Their guitar riffs are deliciously groovy, punctuated with wah and envelope filters, energetic & funky bass lines, killer drum beats, and smokin’ hot piano. Musically, the songs often accelerate into an intense fusion of funk, rock, and soul, complemented by Davis’ powerful and sultry voice.
Unlike Tina Turner, Betty Davis isn’t a household name, but as a young songwriter, she wrote numerous songs for The Commodores that helped get them signed to Motown. She also wrote "Uptown” for The Chambers Brothers and was featured on their massive hit album, The Time Has Come. While most remember that album for its psychedelic funk title track, the delectably groovy “Uptown” has always been one of its stand-out tracks for me.
Davis was a social butterfly who moved in hip circles. She dated Hugh Masekela and would later marry Miles Davis and introduce him to Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. Miles’ album, Bitches Brew, is often credited to Betty’s influence to shed the jazz jacket and get hip with the younger generation. Their marriage, lasting only a year, was a tempestuous, jealousy-fueled relationship. At the time, Betty suffered silently, only to admit later that Miles was often brutally violent. However, in that brief time, Miles recognized her creative talent and urged Betty to record her music. Motown was initially interested, but she turned them down when they wanted to own all publishing rights. Eric Clapton also offered to produce her, but Betty refused as she felt her music was more avant-garde than Clapton’s classic blues. Miles eventually sent a 5-track demo to Columbia and Atlantic in 1969, but neither was interested in offering her a record deal. Miles and Betty soon divorced, and a couple of years later, in 1971, Betty spent several months in London. While in London, she wrote many songs and befriended Marc Bolan (T. Rex), who encouraged her to return to the US and record her music. Upon returning to America, she met Woodstock promoter Michael Lang, who saw her potential and signed her to his Just Sunshine label.
“She was beautiful and outspoken and different from anyone I had ever met.” -Michael Lang
Betty Davis produced three monumental funk albums between 1973 and 1975 and additionally recorded two others which remained unreleased for several decades. On her sophomore album, They Say I’m Different, Davis is fantastically photographed wearing fur-lined platform heels and an Afrofuturistic take on Barbarella’s costume. It’s one of the greatest album covers ever created, as it boldly captures Davis’ identity in a single image. Betty Davis was a remarkable artist who was enigmatic, confident, outspoken, and highly creative. She defied everything she was told to be and instead single-handedly carved out her own pillar and stood high above everybody else.
Unfortunately, the music industry, the media, the religious right, and even the NAACP all chipped away at that pillar. Many felt intimidated and threatened by her unabashed attitude toward social norms and her overt sexual confidence. The white male music industry turned its back on her and closed many doors. The press dubbed her “raunchy” & “vulgar,” which she would later sarcastically address on her third album, and even the NAACP claimed she was projecting a negative image and stereotype of Black women. Davis was also often banned from performing on TV, her songs considered too explicit for mainstream radio, and concert promoters didn’t want to book her for fear of protests and poor ticket sales.
The music industry’s double standard and blatant misogyny were never more apparent than it was with Betty Davis. While it was perfectly acceptable for male rock bands and soul artists to boast their sexual prowess and objectify women in songs and album covers, Betty Davis’ albums were highly criticized and sold poorly. A strong, sexually confident, and empowered woman scared the living hell out of men, and the only thing they could do was wield their power to try and silence her.
“I told no one of how Miles was violent. So I wrote and sung my heart out. Three albums of hard funk. I put everything there. But doors in the industry kept closing. Always white men behind desks telling me to change - change my look, change my sound. I needed to ‘fit in,’ or else no contract. I learned that stars starve in silence.” 1
As a Black woman in an industry controlled by white men, this made her even more determined than ever not to be silenced and to fight for her creative freedom. Davis was eventually able to secure a recording contract on her own. She is also the first black woman to have sole writing, arranging, and production credits on her own LP. Betty Davis was an innovative and courageous artist and a force to be reckoned with. She fought for her sexual and gender identity decades before the #MeToo movement. Only now, decades later, is she recognized as an icon of liberation and self-expression.
In 1973, the world wasn’t ready for Betty Davis. She fought and helped pave the way for many artists who came after her, but the industry ultimately broke her and left her disillusioned. Decades after her last recordings, Davis disappeared from the public eye and lived a reclusive and private life. However, her lasting influence on popular music and pop culture is undeniable.
Her music has since been praised by artists like Prince and Erykah Badu and has been sampled by several rappers. With Davis’ approval, all her recorded output is now available through Light In The Attic Records. An independent documentary called 'They Say I'm Different' was also released in 2017, and both revived considerable interest in her music.
At age 77, Betty quietly passed away on February 9, 2022. She may have been ahead of her time, but her reluctance to conform to anyone but her own standards made her a true pioneer.
“Being different is everything. It is the way forward.” -Betty Davis
Betty Davis (as quoted in the 2017 documentary ‘They Say I’m Different’).
She always had killer grooves on her songs, that's for sure, and more personal "wattage" than 10 Donna Summers.
But here's a thing: the music industry of the 1970s was not solely "white men". There was a substantial black-owned and operated music industry then, too, from Philly to Atlanta to Oakland; that had the money and juice to make her a star.
They didn't want to push her either, and yet they escape all scrutiny for that.
Their indifference and discouragement, I suspect, is what really drove her to reclusive self-exile from the music business; and we'll probably never hear the real stories about that. At least those records finally found their way out; that much we can be thankful for.
Your posts always influence my listening for the week. Excited to listen to some Betty!!