Skeeter Davis
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
In the early 60s, Davis followed the heels of Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline to become one of the first big-selling female country crossover acts, although her pop success was pretty short-lived. The weepy allad The End of the World, though, was a massive hit, reaching number two in 1963. I Cant Stay Mad at You, a Top Ten hit the same year, was downright rock & roll; penned by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, it sounded like (and was) an authentic Brill Building girl group-styled classic. Goffin and King also wrote another successful girl group knockoff for her, Let Me Get Close to You, although such efforts were the exception rather than the rule. Usually she sang sentimental, country-oriented tunes with enough pop hooks to catch the ears of a wider audience, such as I Will.
Davis concentrated on the country market after the early 60s, although she never seemed too comfortable limiting herself to the Nashville crowd. She recorded a Buddy Holly tribute album in 1967, when Holly wasnt a hot ticket with either the country or the rock audience. But she certainly didnt reject country conventions either: She performed on the Grand Ole Opry and recorded duets with Bobby Bare, Porter Wagoner, and George Hamilton IV. In the 1980s, she had a mild comeback with the rock crowd after recording an album with NRBQ; she also married NRBQs bass player, Joey Spampinato. Davis passed away September 19, 2004 after a long struggle with cancer.
