Raymond Davis

• Born: March 29, 1940, Sumter, NC
• Died: July 05, 2005, New Brunswick, NJ
• Genres: Rhythm & Blues
• Instrument: Vocals (Background), Vocals

Biography

Raymond Davis co-founded the Parliaments, the doo wop group that would later evolve to become the psychedelic funk juggernaut Parliament-Funkadelic, lending his distinctive bass vocals to R&B classics like "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucka)," "One Nation Under a Groove," and "Flashlight." Born March 29, 1940, in Sumter, SC, Davis was raised in Plainfield, NJ, teaming with high school classmates George Clinton, Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas to form the Parliaments. The group began recording in 1956 but did not trouble the charts until 1967, when "(I Wanna) Testify" ascended to number three R&B and number 20 pop. Inspired by Sly & the Family Stone and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Clinton soon began steering the Parliaments in the direction of psychedelic rock, in 1970 dropping the plural to create the horn-powered Parliament as well as its guitar-oriented sister project, Funkadelic. P-Funk would emerge among the most original groups of the decade, its groundbreaking fusion of rock, funk, and gospel proving profoundly influential on multiple generations of hip-hop artists. When Clinton dissolved Parliament in 1980, Davis largely dropped from view, rarely participating in subsequent P-Funk reunion projects. In the mid-'90s, he assumed bass vocal duties for the Temptations following the death of Melvin Franklin, and in 1998 began touring with original Parliaments Haskins and Thomas. Davis died July 5, 2005, from respiratory complications at the age of 65. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide