Davis graduated at 16 from Lubbock High School in Lubbock, Texas. He spent his childhood years with his sister Linda, living and working at the former College Courts, an efficiency apartment complex owned by his father, T. J. Davis, located at the intersection of College Avenue and 5th Street. Davis describes his father, who was divorced from Davis's mother, as "very religious, very strict, and very stubborn." Though Davis was physically small, he had a penchant for getting into fistfights. "In those days, it was all about football, rodeo, and fistfights. Oh, man, I got beat up so much while I was growing up in Lubbock," Davis said in a March 2, 2008, interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper. "I was 5 feet, 9 inches, and weighed 125 pounds. I joined Golden Gloves, but didn't do good even in my (own) division." After he finished high school, Davis moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where his mother lived, to get out of Lubbock.
Once he was settled in Atlanta, he organized a rock and roll group called the Zots, and made two singles for OEK Records, managed and promoted by OEK owner Oscar Kilgo. Davis also worked for the Vee Jay record company (home to such R&B stars as Gene Chandler, Jerry Butler, and Dee Clark) as a regional manager, and later also served as a regional manager for Liberty Records.
Davis became famous as a songwriter and got his start as an employee of Nancy Sinatra's company, Boots Enterprises, Inc. Davis was with Boots for several years in the late 1960s. During his time there, he played on many of Sinatra's recordings, and she worked him into her stage shows. Boots Enterprises also acted as Davis's publishing company, publishing songs such as "In the Ghetto", "Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife", "Home", "It's Such a Lonely Time of Year", and "Memories", which were recorded by Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, B. J. Thomas, and many others. Davis left Boots Enterprises in 1970 to sign with Columbia Records, taking all of his songs with him.
One of the songs he wrote in 1968, called "A Little Less Conversation", was recorded by Elvis Presley (and would become a posthumous success for Presley years later). Presley recorded "In the Ghetto" in sessions in Memphis. According to maverick record producer Jimmy Bowen, "Ghetto" was originally pitched to Sammy Davis, Jr. Mac, guitar in hand, played the song in a studio, with onlookers such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and other members of the black activist community. Mac Davis, the only white man in the room at the time, eventually told Bowen, "I don't know whether to thank ya, or to kill ya." Mac Davis eventually recorded the tune after Presley's version became a success, and was released in a Ronco In Concert compilation in 1975. It was later released on a campy Rhino Records Golden Throats compilation in 1991. The song became a success for Presley and he continued to record more of Davis's material, such as "Memories", "Don't Cry Daddy", and "Clean Up Your Own Backyard". Bobby Goldsboro also recorded some of Davis's songs, including "Watching Scotty Grow", which became a #1 Adult Contemporary success for Goldsboro in 1971. Other artists who recorded his material included Vikki Carr, O.C. Smith, and Kenny Rogers and The First Edition. "I Believe in Music", often considered to be Davis's signature song, was recorded by several artists (including Marian Love, B.J. Thomas, Louis Jordan, Perry Como, Helen Reddy, and Davis himself) before it finally became a success in 1972 for the group Gallery.
Later, he also became known as a country singer. During the 1970s, many of his songs "crossed over", successfully scoring on both the country and popular music charts, including "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" (a number one Grammy-nominated success), "One Hell of a Woman" (pop no. 11), and "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a no. 9 pop hit). Also, during the 1970s, he was very active as an actor, appearing in several movies, as well as hosting a successful variety show.
Davis soon decided to pursue a career of his own in country music; he was signed to Columbia Records in 1970. After several years of enriching the repertoires of other artists, his big success came two years after signing with Columbia. He topped the Country and Pop charts with the song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me". It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America in September 1972.
Some of Davis's lyrics invoked overtly sexual relationships. In the song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me", he pleads with a woman not to become too enamored with him, because he does not want to commit to a full-time relationship. Other successful songs, such as "Naughty Girl" and "Baby Spread Your Love on Me", contained similar lyrics.
In 1974, Davis was awarded the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year award. Some of Davis's other successes include the songs "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a number one Adult Contemporary success in 1974) (pop no. 9), "One Hell of a Woman" (pop no. 11), "Rock'n'Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)" (pop no. 15), and "Burnin' Thing" (pop no. 53). At the end of the 1970s, he moved to Casablanca Records, which was best known at the time for its successes with disco star Donna Summer and rock'n'roll band Kiss. His first success for the company in 1980 was the novelty song "It's Hard To Be Humble", a light-hearted look at how popularity and good looks could go to one's head. The song became his first Country music top 10 and a rare top 30 hit in the UK. (It was translated into Dutch as "Het is moeilijk bescheiden te blijven" and became a hit for the Dutch singer Peter Blanker in 1981). Later that year, he also had another top 10 song with "Let's Keep It That Way". In November, "Rock'n'Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)" was played by KHJ in Los Angeles as its last song before it switched from Top 40 to Country music. He achieved other successful songs, such as "Texas In My Rear View Mirror" and "Hooked on Music", which became his biggest Country music success in 1981, going to no. 2. In 1985, he recorded his last top 10 country music success with the song "I Never Made Love (Till I Made Love With You)".
On January 19, 1985, Davis performed "God Bless the USA" at the 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala, held the day before the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan.
Davis was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000.
Poem For My Little Lady
Mac Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And she deserves a whole lot better
Than a guitar pickin' drifter
Who never gave a tinkers damn
But if lovin' me is what she really wants
I'm gonna let her and I'll do my best
To try and be the man she thinks I am
She makes these little kitten sounds
Makes me feel so big and strong and mean
Whispers that she cannot wait
To be my baby's mother
She's the only glimpse of God I've ever seen
Her momma should have warned her
Never take up with a poet
'Cause a poet travels rocky roads
In search of truth and light
I'm the only blemish on her virgin soul
She don't even know it and I
Thank the Lord she's lyin' gentle
By my side tonight
In Mac Davis's song, "Poem for My Little Lady," the singer is a guitar pickin' drifter who finds himself in love with a young and gentle woman. Despite feeling as though she deserves someone better than him, he acknowledges that if loving him is what she wants, he will do his best to be the man she thinks he is. The woman makes him feel powerful and needed, and he sees her as a representation of God's goodness in a world that can be rocky and unforgiving. However, the singer is keenly aware of his own shortcomings and how his life as a poet and drifter may negatively impact this young woman. He thanks the Lord for the gentle lie that she tells herself, allowing her to be with him, even if it means that he will be a blemish on her otherwise pure soul.
The duality of the singer's feelings towards the woman is striking. On the one hand, he recognizes that he is not what she deserves and even acknowledges that his way of life could harm her. On the other hand, he clearly loves her and is gratified by the way she makes him feel. This contradiction speaks to the larger human experience of wanting to be loved and feeling invincible while also grappling with feelings of unworthiness and guilt.
This song is a beautiful and complex exploration of the human heart, delving into themes of love, sacrifice, and self-awareness. Through the singer's musings, we come to understand that sometimes, love is messy and complicated, but it can also be transformative and worthwhile.
Line by Line Meaning
She's young and soft and kind
She is a youthful, gentle soul with a kind heart.
And she deserves a whole lot better
She deserves someone better than a wandering musician who isn't very responsible.
Than a guitar pickin' drifter
She deserves someone who is more stable and reliable than a wandering musician.
Who never gave a tinkers damn
The drifter doesn't care much about anything or anyone.
But if lovin' me is what she really wants
If she truly loves me, I will let her follow her heart.
I'm gonna let her and I'll do my best
I will try my best to be a good partner for her, despite my flaws.
To try and be the man she thinks I am
I will strive to be the kind of man she believes me to be.
She makes these little kitten sounds
She expresses herself in little, cute sounds like a kitten.
And trembles when I love her
She's deeply moved when I show her affection.
Makes me feel so big and strong and mean
Loving her makes me feel powerful and important.
Whispers that she cannot wait
She eagerly looks forward to the idea of starting a family with me.
To be my baby's mother
She wants to be the mother of my children.
She's the only glimpse of God I've ever seen
She is a beautiful and divine being who reminds me of the goodness in the world.
Her momma should have warned her
Her mother should have cautioned her against falling for a poet like me.
Never take up with a poet
Poets have a difficult and unstable life that can be hard on a relationship.
'Cause a poet travels rocky roads
A poet's life can be tumultuous and uncertain.
In search of truth and light
Poets seek meaning and understanding in life.
I'm the only blemish on her virgin soul
I am the only misstep or imperfection in her otherwise pure life.
She don't even know it and I
She's unaware of my self-doubts and regrets, and I...
Thank the Lord she's lyin' gentle
I am grateful that she is sleeping peacefully by my side.
By my side tonight
I am comforted by her presence and feel less alone.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MAC DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charlie fowler,jr.
Dear Jovelyn... I TRIED.
Bonnie Smith
hcf. always.