Madeleine Davis
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| Madeleine Davis | |
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| Born | Matalyne Homernell Bryan October 20, 1952 Columbus, Georgia |
| Occupation | Stage actress, singer |
| Official website | |
Madeleine Davis (born Matalyne Homernell Bryan October 20, 1952 in Georgia) is an American-born pop and jazz singer and a stage actress. Her father was a pharmacist and her mother a housewife, substitute teacher, and singing evangelist for the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the state of Georgia.
Madeleine has recorded in German and Spanish, and performed live in Croatian. She has lived in Europe most of her adult life, mainly in Munich, Amsterdam, and London, and most recently in the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands.
[edit] Biography
Madeleine "Matt" Davis attended public schools in Columbus, Georgia, and one year of private school at Mother Mary Mission in Phenix City, Alabama. She inherited her artistic talents from her mother, and often accompanied her mother as pianist. She studied the arts at an early age and made her singing debut on a local kids' TV show called The Cowboy Bob Show at the age of four. She is a graduate of Baker High School in Columbus where her favorite subjects were music and theater, and was encouraged by her teachers to audition for the Springer Opera House Children's Theater production of AESOP'S FALLABLES. She gave a riveting performance as Mod Mouse, the motorcycle riding hippie mouse. Other Springer productions include The SOUND OF MUSIC, SOPHISTICATED LADIES directed by Mercedes Ellington, and other music reviews. She attended Florida State University Summer Music Camp and was voted "Most Talented" by her classmates. Davis is a graduate of Morris Brown College in Atlanta where she was Student Director of the famous Morris Brown College Concert Choir, a member of The ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHORUS, The Atlanta Gospel Movement, singer–dancer with the Crystal Pistol Show at SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA, Radio Announcer at WAUC AM Radio, and president of Gamma Beta Chapter of Delta Omicron Professional Music Fraternity for Women. She also attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.
After college, Davis toured with Atlanta music theater director Billy Densmore and Company in the musical review "FOOTLIGHTS and FANFARE" for the Armed Forces Professional Entertainment Organization touring Army and Air Bases in Germany and Italy during the Bicentennial. Returning to the USA, she toured with the critically acclaimed Black Music Repertory Theater troup The VOICES, Inc. Getting a gig with an oompah band in Germany proved to be a great stepping stone.
Madeleine was able to venture into the city of Munich, Germany and quickly became the most sought after backing vocalist–backing vocal arranger–backing vocal producer for top European producers and Entertainers including producers Ralph Siegel, Tony Monn, Frank Farian, Dietmar Kawohl, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte, Michael Kunze, Sylvester Levay, Mal Luker, Geoff Bastow, Rainer Pietsch, Leslie Mandoki, and entertainers Linda Fields, Sananda Maitreya (Terence Trent Darby's early works), Engelbert Humperdinck, Peggy March, Amanda Lear, Boney M, Penny McLean, Ramona Leiss, Michael Holm, Claudja Barry, Michael Schanze, Klaus Doldinger, Head Heart and Hands, La Bionda, Patrick Gammon, Dusko Lokin, Hoyt Axton, Roberta Kelly, Rick Astley, Abi Ofarim, La Mama, and many others. She returned to the States to appear in the Earl Wilson Jr. musical LET MY PEOPLE COME, worked as backing vocalist with Grammy-nominee Jason "Malletman" Taylor, and with Dino Terrell and Linda Miller as INTRIGUE. The trio had a dance hit with the single "Fly GIRL" (World Trade Records) in 1985 produced by Leroy Burgess.
Meanwhile back in Europe, Liz Mitchell, lead singer of the mega-hit group Boney M decided to go solo and Madeleine was next in line to step out front. She returned to Munich and toured extensively with the band and recorded "EVERYBODY WANTS to DANCE like JOSEPHINE BAKER" single and video, and recorded the MEGA MIX video (Sony BMG Music Entertainment). Much chaos ensued amongst the band members and producer Frank Farian. Davis returned home to Georgia to appear in the HARVEY MILK SHOW for the Cultural Olympiad in Atlanta, Onstage Atlanta's A CHAINSAW CHORUS LINE CHRISTMAS CAROL, and the 1940s RADIO HOUR at Theatre-in-the-Square in Marietta, Georgia. Currently, Madeleine is recording her first solo jazz CD to be released on the indie label SoCo Jazz-on-the-River based in her hometown of Columbus, Georgia.
