Raymond "Ray" Davis (March 29, 1940, in Sumter, South Carolina – July 5, 2005, New Brunswick, New Jersey) was the original bass singer and one of the founding members of The Parliaments, Parliament, and Funkadelic. His regular nickname while he was with those groups was "Sting Ray Davis." Aside from George Clinton, he was the only original member of the Parliaments not to leave the Parliament/Funkadelic conglomerate in 1977. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic. He worked with Roger Troutman and Zapp in the early to mid '80's. His distinctive baritone can be heard on "I Can Make You Dance". He was also briefly in a late-period line-up of the The Temptations, joining after the death of original bass singer Melvin Franklin and appearing on the 1995 album For Lovers Only. Davis left the group after being diagnosed with throat cancer. In later years, he performed with former Temptation Glenn Leonard in Leonard's group, The Temptations Experience. And in 1998, along with original Parliament-Funkadelic members Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins, Calvin Simon and Grady Thomas, formed the Original P.
Davis died on the evening of Tuesday, July 5, 2005, of respiratory problems.
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