GAIL DAVIES
The daughter of
country singer Tex Dickerson, Gail Davies (born Patricia Gail Dickerson) is one
of country music's most influential female artists. One of the first women to
produce her own records, Davies was a major inspiration to such country music
performers as Kathy Mattea, Suzy Bogguss, and Pam Tillis. In addition to
composing and recording such country hits as "Grandma's Song" and "Someone Is
Looking for Someone Like You," Davies has written hit tunes for the Whites, Jann
Browne, and Wild Rose. Her songs have been covered by Susan McCann, Mari
Nagatomi, George Hamilton IV, and Nana Mouskori.
Born in Broken Bow, a small town in Oklahoma's McCurtain county, Davies grew up
in Washington state, where she moved after her mother remarried. Graduating from
high school, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she met and married a jazz
musician. Although she briefly flirted with jazz, she returned to country music
following her divorce.
A session singer for A&M, Davies recorded with Neil Young, Hoyt Axton, and Tom
Pacheco. Befriended by Joni Mitchell, she was taught the art of record producing
by Mitchell's engineer, Henry Lewy. Although she was invited to tour Europe with
Frank Zappa's band, Davies chose to work with witty country singer Roger Miller
instead. Inspired by her older brother, Ron Davies, whose song, "It Ain't Easy,"
was covered by David Bowie and Three Dog Night, Davies bought a guitar and began
writing songs. Signed by EMI Publishing, she moved to Nashville to write songs.
One of her first efforts, "Bucket to the South," became a hit for Ava Barber and
was later recorded by Lynn Anderson and Mitzi Gaynor.
Determined to stake her claim as a performer, Davies signed with CBS/Lifesong in
1978. Her self-titled debut album included two hit singles. "No Love Here I"
reached the 26th slot on the Billboard charts, while her second single, "Someone
Is Looking for Someone Like You," (with Lloyd Green on steel!) barely missed the
Top Ten and was translated and recorded in seven languages.
Producing her second album, The Game, in 1979, Davies continued to bring a new
perspective to country music. Her third album, Giving Herself Away, released in
1982, included the single "'Round the Clock Lovin'." Penned by K.T. Oslin, the
single reached the ninth position on the charts. The year proved monumental. In
addition to giving birth to a son, Christopher Scruggs, the son of Gary Scruggs
and the grandson of influential bluegrass banjo player Earl Scruggs, she
released her second album of 1982, What Can I Say. Produced by James Taylor's
bass player, Leland Sklar, Davies' fifth album, Where Is a Woman to Go, released
in 1984, climaxed with a rendition of John Prine and Bobby Braddock's tune "Unwed
Fathers," featuring harmony vocals by Dolly Parton.