Betty Davis, a soul and funk singer of the 1960s whose growling, raspy vocal style and unapologetically explicit lyrics would influence future performers from Prince and Erykah Badu to Outkast, died today of natural causes at her home in Homestead, Pennsylvania. She was 77.
Her death was announced by lifelong friend Connie Portis, who said in a statement, “It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of Betty Davis, a multi-talented music influencer and pioneer rock star, singer, songwriter, and fashion icon. Most of all, Betty was a friend, aunt, niece, and beloved member of her community of Homestead, Pennsylvania, and of the worldwide community of friends and fans.”
Born Betty Mabry, the North Carolina native moved to New York City at 16 to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. Modeling for such magazines as Glamour and Seventeen, she was drawn to the burgeoning music scene of Greenwich Village, soon meeting the likes of Jimi Hendrix, the Chambers Brothers, Sly Stone, Lou Courtney, Hugh Masekela and, in 1968, jazz great Miles Davis, who would become both a musical collaborator and, briefly, her husband. Betty Davis, who would keep her husband’s surname after their divorce around 1969, is said to have introduced both Hendrix and his psychedelic rock style to Miles, influencing the jazz master’s great 1970 fusion album Bitches Brew.
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By the time of her marriage, Davis was already making her own impact on the local music scene, including the release of mid-1960s single “The Cellar” (named after a popular New York nightclub) and, in 1967, as the songwriter of the The Chambers Brothers’ single “Uptown (to Harlem).”
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Neither “The Cellar” nor “Uptown (to Harlem)” became huge hits, though, and set a pattern that would continue throughout Davis’ career: Her musical output – including her string of well-remembered mid-1970s albums Betty Davis, They Say I’m Different and Nasty Gal – would ultimately prove more influential than commercially viable.
Davis’ albums Betty Davis (1973) and They Say I’m Different (1974) were reissued by Light in the Attic Records in 2007, and in 2009 the label reissued Nasty Gal (1975) and a previously unreleased 1976 album re-titled Is It Love or Desire? Later this year, Light in the Attic will release Davis’ final album Crashin’ From Passion.
In recent years, rappers Ice Cube and Talib Kweli have rapped over her songs, and Janelle Monae has credited Davis as “one of the godmothers of redefining how Black women in music can be viewed. Canadian singer and performance artist Peaches has described Davis as “the original – in control, a sexual powerhouse and a vocal inspiration.” Said Erykah Badu, “We just grains of sand in her Bettyness.”
Davis’ music found a renewed level of exposure after being featured in such TV series as Orange Is the New Black, Girlboss, Mixed-ish, and High Fidelity. In 2017, she was the subject of the documentary film Betty: They Say I’m Different, and in 2021 the Oscar-nominated Summer of Soul documentary featured the Chambers Brothers performing the Davis-penned “Uptown (to Harlem).”
Light in the Attic founder Matt Sullivan said in a statement today, “Our hearts are incredibly heavy today. Betty has been the guiding light in everything we do at Light in the Attic. Her unbending DIY ethic and groundbreaking spirit will live on forever. We are going to miss her so much.”
Portis, Davis’ friend of 65 years, said a tribute to the singer will be announced at a later date. “At a time to be announced, we will pay tribute to her beautiful, bold, and brash persona,” Portis said. “Today we cherish her memory as the sweet, thoughtful, and reflective person she was…There is no other.”