Rainy Davis
Rainy Davis | |
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![]() Davis in 1989 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Denise Lorraine Davis |
Born | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
Genres | R&B, pop, hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer, music publisher, CEO |
Years active | 1985–present |
Labels | Supertronics Columbia/CBS Rainysongs Entertainment |
Website | rainysongs |
Denise Lorraine Davis, better known by her stage name Rainy Davis, is an American songwriter, singer and record producer. Out of four Billboard charted singles, Davis is known best for her song "Sweetheart". The single was originally released on the New York-based independent label called Supertronics Records. However, after the song became a hit in the clubs, then on urban radio and eventually crossing over to pop radio, Columbia Records A&R Exec Joe McEwen offered Rainy Davis a production-artist deal for worldwide physical distribution, which included buying Davis's previous contract from Supertronics. Rainy Davis went on to record two albums for Columbia and received numerous awards for her contributions to hit songs over the years.
In 2005, when digital music distribution was new to the majority of independent artists and label professionals, Davis, founder and president of Rainysongs, set up her online entertainment company with worldwide digital distribution. This was one of the first digital music distribution labels owned by an African American woman. Davis was also one of the pioneers to structure the foundation for fair digital recording agreements in the U.S.[1]
In 2010, Davis and her company Rainysongs introduced a digital technology platform to North America that empowers independent music professionals to control their digital music content worldwide online.[1]
Biography
Davis was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Even before being famous, Davis was paying her dues. She was singing with a local band called Jamilia (with band members Keith Sweat, Charisse Davis until she joined the female singing group Musique, created and produced by Patrick Adams, which garnered the club pop hits "In the Bush" and "Keep On Jumpin."
After a few weeks of rehearsals with their new band, Musique was out on the road, and Rainy Davis was a live performance member of the female trio group Musique with Becky Bell and Marisa Dejean. Rainy was now on her first tour as a member of a group with two songs that hit #1 on the Billboard Disco Action Charts and then crossing over to a pop hit record. The tour was booked throughout North America by the Norby Walters Agency.
At the request of Amir Bayyan, (personal friend of the Jacksons), Rainy Davis wrote "Sweetheart" for Janet Jackson with her songwriting partner Pete Warner. When the demo was finished, all the songs for Janet's 1986 album Control, had been chosen. Amir Bayyan, Christine Bayyan, and Chris Lord-Alge suggested to Davis that she release the song herself, and, as a result, it became a major hit in the dance and club scene and on urban and pop radio.
Columbia Records signed Rainy Davis in 1987 and dubbed her 'America's Sweetheart', then sent Davis on a national tour to support her debut album. The tour included an appearance on Don Cornelius' TV show Soul Train and a performance at the world-famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York. Davis was also a presenter at the Rhythm & Blues awards at Bally's in Las Vegas.
Rainy Davis remains a creative force in the entertainment industry and is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, accomplished music publisher, producer, and recording artist. Her publishing company Rainysongs, is a member of ASCAP and holds controlling interests in the Sweetheart copyrights. Collectively with various album releases by Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri with the inclusion of "Sweetheart", album sales exceed 22 million physical records worldwide. Davis' additional production and songwriting and releases include the Cover Girls' "Spring Love" from the album Show Me; Inner Life and Jocelyn Brown's "I Want to Give You Me" from I'm Caught Up, Apollo 440's "Sweetheart" sample from the album The Descending Dudes and 275 more licenses issued by Harry Fox.[1]
Discography
Albums
Year | Title | U.S. R&B Chart | Billboard 200 | Top Electronic Albums |
---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Sweetheart | 61[2] | ||
1988 | Ouch[3] |
Album credits
Year | Title | U.S. R&B Chart | Billboard 200 | Top Electronic Albums | Top Internet Albums |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair) - Inner Life[4] | 47 | |||
1987 | Show Me - The Cover Girls[5] | 74[5] | 64[5] | ||
1998 | Life in 1472: The Original Soundtrack - Jermaine Dupri[6] | 1[7] | 3[7] | ||
1998 | #1's - Mariah Carey[8] | 6[9] | 4[9] | ||
2001 | Greatest Hits - Mariah Carey[8] | 36[10] | 52[10] | ||
2003 | The Remixes - Mariah Carey[8] | 25[11] | 26[11] | 26[11] | |
2003 | Dude Descending [12] | ||||
2004 | The Remixes - Mariah Carey[8] | 1[11] | |||
2011 | The Essential Mariah Carey[8] | 42[13] | |||
2013 | Greatest Hits - Mariah Carey[8] | 52[10] |
- [4] I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair) - composer, publisher
- [14] Sweetheart (1987) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
- [5] Show Me (1987) - composer, producer, publisher
- [3] Ouch (1988) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
- [15] Best of 1987 - 1990 - The Cover Girls (1996) - composer, producer, publisher
- [16] The Greatest Hits - The Cover Girls (1998) - composer, producer, publisher
- [7] Life In 1472 - Jermaine Dupri (1998) - composer, publisher
- [9] #1's - Mariah Carey[17] (1998) - composer, publisher
- [10] Greatest Hits - Mariah Carey (2001) - composer, publisher
- [11] The Remixes - Mariah Carey (2003) - composer, publisher
- [12] Dude Descending - Apollo 440 (2003) - composer, publisher
- [18] Sweetheart (A Story Book Romance) (2011) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
- [19] The Essential Mariah Carey (2011) - composer, producer, publisher
- [20] Sweetheart (Collectors Edition) (2015) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
Singles
Year | Title | US R&B chart | Hot Dance Music Singles Sales | Dance Music Club Play Singles | Billboard Hot 100 | Rhythmic Top 40 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | "Sweetheart"[2] | 24 | 13 | 42 | ||
1987 | "Lowdown So & So"[2] | 14 | 39 | 9 | ||
1987 | "Still Waiting"[2] | 41 | ||||
1988 | "Indian Giver"[2] | 41 | 16 |
Singles credits
- [21] "Sweetheart" (1986) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
- [22] Lowdown So & So (1986) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
- [23] Spring Love - The Cover Girls (1987) - composer, producer, publisher
- [24] Still Waiting (1987) - primary artist, producer
- [25] 4-Ever (1987) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
- [26] Indian Giver (1988) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
- [27] Ouch (1988) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
- [28] Storybook Romance (1993) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
- [29] Sweetheart - Jermaine Dupri (1998) - composer, publisher
- Number 1's Sweetheart - Mariah Carey (1998) - composer, publisher
- [30] CC'S Mystique (2011) - primary artist, composer, producer, publisher
References
- ^ a b c "President". rainysongs.com. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ a b c d e "Sweetheart - Rainy Davis | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ a b "Ouch - Rainy Davis | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ a b "I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair) - Inner Life | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ a b c d "Show Me - The Cover Girls | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Jermaine Dupri | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ a b c "Life in 1472 - Jermaine Dupri | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ a b c d e f "Sweetheart - Mariah Carey | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ a b c "#1's - Mariah Carey | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ a b c d "Greatest Hits - Mariah Carey | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ a b c d e "The Remixes - Mariah Carey | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ a b "Dude Descending a Staircase - Apollo 440 | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "The Essential Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Sweetheart - Rainy Davis | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "The Best of 1987-1990 - The Cover Girls | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Greatest Hits [Mars] - The Cover Girls | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "#1's - Mariah Carey | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Sweetheart (A Story Book Romance) - EP by Rainy Davis on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ The Essential Mariah Carey, 2011-01-10, retrieved 2015-12-31
- ^ "Sweetheart (Collectors Edition) by Rainy Davis on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Rainy Davis - Sweetheart". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Rainy Davis - Lowdown So & So". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "The Cover Girls - Spring Love". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Rainy Davis - Still Waiting". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Rainy Davis - 4-Ever". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Rainy Davis - Indian Giver". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Rainy Davis - Ouch". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Rainy Davis - Story Book Romance". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Sweetheart - Jermaine Dupri | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "CC'S Mystique (Radio Version) - Single by Rainy Davis on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 2015-12-31.