Mary Frances Penick was born on December 30, 1931 in the small Appalachian town of Dry Ridge, Kentucky. As a child, her grandfather nicknamed her "Skeeter" because she was always active and buzzing around like a mosquito. She got her start in music as part of the duo, The Davis Sisters, along with childhood friend, Betty Jack Davis. Thus, Skeeter Davis was born to the rest of the world.
The Davis Sisters sang in the local Lexington, Kentucky area and appeared on local radio WLAX in 1949. From there, they earned radio and television appearances in Detroit, Cincinnati and Wheeling, WV, where they were part of the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree.
In 1952, Skeeter and Betty Jack recorded for Fortune, but won a recording contract with RCA the following year and achieved their first chart success. "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" went to number one on the U.S. country chart and number eighteen on the U.S. pop chart.
Sadly, on August 23, 1953, Skeeter and Betty Jack were involved in a serious car accident in which Betty Jack died and Skeeter was critically injured. It took Skeeter more than a year to recover both physically and mentally. With great difficulty and a lot of persuasion, Skeeter returned to singing with Betty Jack's sister, Georgia Davis, to briefly resume the Davis Sisters' act. But, within a year, the duo broke up and Skeeter pursued a solo career.
She continued to record on the RCA label where she worked with Eddy Arnold and Elvis Presley. In 1955, she toured for RCA on the Caravan of the Stars. Davis teamed up with producer, Chet Atkins and scored her first solo country chart hit in 1958 with "Lost To A Geisha Girl." This was during a time when the female acts were surging forward with "response" songs to some of the biggest hits by male artists. As Kitty Wells had answered Hank Thompson's "Honky Tonk Angels," with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" in 1952, Skeeter Davis put out this answer to Hank Locklin's "Geisha Girl."
A few years later, Davis recorded another answer to a Hank Locklin song and gained another huge hit. Locklin sang "Please Help Me I'm Falling" and Davis' response was, "I Can't Help You, I'm Falling Too."
In 1959, Davis achieved one of her greatest ambitions when she moved to Nashville and became a regular member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1960, she married WSM personality, Ralph Emery, but the tumultuous marriage ended in 1964.
During the 1960's, Davis was one of RCA's most successful country artists. She harvested 26 U.S. country hits, 12 of which crossed over to the U.S. pop charts. Among these was what was to become her trademark song, the million-selling record "The End Of The World" which peaked at number two in both the U.S. country and pop charts in 1963. She also earned her only UK chart presence with "The End Of The World" which topped out at number eighteen in only thirteen weeks on the chart.
Davis has also acheived songwriting success. Her co-written song "Set Him Free" became her first country Top 10 hit in 1959. She also co-wrote "My Last Date" with Boudleaux Bryant and Floyd Cramer. Cramer, famed pianist and member of the original A-team, recorded it as an instrumental solo and had a million-selling record on it in 1960.
During the 60's and 70's, Davis toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Far East. Her solo career started to wane in the 70's, but she still had several more hits such as "Bus Fare To Kentucky," "I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter," and "One Tin Soldier." Her duets with Bobby Bare, George Hamilton IV, and The Bee Gees gave her a few more hits, but by the mid-70's, Davis was reaching the end of her illustrious career. She ended her twenty-two year relationship with RCA in 1974 and charted her last hit for Mercury in 1976 with "I Love Us."
In 1967, Davis recorded a tribute album to Buddy Holly, which featured Waylon Jennings on the guitar. Later in 1972, she also did a tribute album to her friend, Dolly Parton. In 1985, she re-recorded an old Davis Sisters' hit, "May You Never Be Alone," with the group NRBQ. She married Joey Spampanito of NRBQ, but this marriage ultimately ended in divorce as well.
In 1973, Davis was dropped from the Grand Ole Opry's roster due to her strong criticisms of the Nashville Police Department during one of her performances. Her membership was later reinstated.
Davis has also taken to writing about her real life experiences. Her autobiography, "Bus Fare To Kentucky," was published in 1993. Davis pulls no punches in this brutally honest account of her life. She tells how she endured a family history of alcoholism, incest and murder. She also tells her side of the story regarding her four year marriage to Ralph Emery, following the heavy criticism which she received in Emery's autobiography. In 1997, she co-wrote a children's Christmas book, entitled "The Christmas Note," based on her own childhood.
Skeeter Davis passed away September 19th 2004 after a long battle with cancer.
Written by Sherry Anderson. June 2001
* Article appears courtesy of www.countrypolitan.com
My Happiness
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How I long to be with you my happiness
Everyday I reminisce dreaming of your tender kiss
Always thinking how I miss my happiness
A million years it seems have gone by since we shared our dreams
But I'll hold you again there'll be no blue memories then
Where the skies are grey or blue anyplace on earth will do
Just as long as I'm with you my happiness
(Anyplace on earth will do) anyplace on earth will do
Just as long as I'm with you my happiness
The lyrics of Skeeter Davis's song "My Happiness" are a poignant expression of the longing and nostalgia that comes with missing someone dear to you. The first verse sets the scene for the song, with the singer feeling blue as the evening shadows fall after a long and wearisome day. The second verse shows the singer reminiscing and dreaming of their loved one's tender kiss, expressing how much they miss them. The third verse is the most hopeful, with the singer imagining a future where they will be reunited with their loved one and all their blue memories will disappear. The chorus repeats the phrase "my happiness" to emphasize the conviction that being with this person is what will bring joy and contentment.
The song's simplicity and sincerity have made it enduringly popular, especially as a sentimental love song that can resonate with anyone who has experienced the pain of separation from a loved one. Its classic country sound and Davis's emotive vocals give the song a timeless quality that has led to it being covered by many artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Evening shadows make me blue when each weary day is through
The end of every day brings me sadness and loneliness, especially when it gets dark outside.
How I long to be with you my happiness
I desperately want to see you again, because you are the source of my happiness and joy.
Everyday I reminisce dreaming of your tender kiss
I think about you constantly and imagine what it would feel like to be held by you and receive your loving kisses.
Always thinking how I miss my happiness
My heart is constantly yearning for you, the one thing that brings true happiness into my life.
A million years it seems have gone by since we shared our dreams
It seems like an eternity has passed since we last spent time together and shared our deepest hopes and aspirations.
But I'll hold you again there'll be no blue memories then
Despite the loneliness and sadness I feel now, I am confident that once we are reunited, all of those negative memories will fade away.
Where the skies are grey or blue anyplace on earth will do
I don't care where we are in the world, as long as we are together, because you are my home and my happiness.
Just as long as I'm with you my happiness
My happiness is inextricably tied to your presence in my life, and as long as I have you, I will be complete.
Lyrics © HAPPINESS MUSIC CORP.
Written by: Betty Peterson, Borney Bergantine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
frank curry
SHE WAS AWESOME ! RIP SKEETER x
Skeeter Davis
Her voice was the sweetest
Ter Set
most gorgeous, unique and tender voice ! and sincere
Skeeter Davis
Full of feelings!
Henry
This song brings back my younger days