Betty Davis, funk icon and former wife of Miles Davis, dies at 77

Musician Betty Davis, pioneer of funk and inspiration for generations of artists despite a short career, died Wednesday February 9 at the age of 77.

“It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of Betty Davis, multi-talented music influencer and rock pioneer, singer, songwriter and fashion figure.”announced her longtime friend Constance Portis, on her Facebook page.

A friend of Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, the second wife of jazz legend Miles Davis was a mainstay of the New York music scene of the 1960s. She recorded almost all of his music between 1964 and 1976, with titles like Anti-Love Song, Nasty Gal, Ya Mama Wants You Back, Shut Off The Light, He Was A Big Freak Where Don’t Call Her No Tramp.

If their marriage lasted only one year (from 1968 to 1969), it is to Betty Davis that we attribute the merit of having introduced the trumpeter to the rock of the time, through Jimi Hendrix, and paved the way for its fusion phase, which gave birth to the albums In a Silent Way (1969) and Bitches Brew (1970).

Proud, daring, provocative and overtly sexual, including in her (erotic) lyrics and in her (hoarse and carnal) voice, this singer and songwriter, who was also a model, had achieved great success for her torrid lyricism, paving the way , later, to legends like Prince and Madonna.

But his ultra sensual concerts were not to everyone’s taste. They were boycotted by virtue leagues and religious groups, while American television banned their live performances from the small screen. Many radio stations in the country refused to play her songs and criticism also came from the NAACP (Association for the Advancement of Colored People) who considered her “a shamefor black Americans.

Betty Davis also wrote the song Uptown for the Chambers Brothers, rediscovered in the formidable documentary summer of soul about an unjustly forgotten music festival, the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a film by musician Questlove nominated for the 2022 Oscars.

Rappers like Ice Cube and Talib Kweli sampled the work of Betty Davis, whose music failed to achieve commercial success but inspired artists for decades. This figure of the New York funk scene had however left the music scene very early, suddenly returning to his native Pittsburgh in the late 70s and refusing to come out of retirement for decades.

His status as a cult icon had only grown, fueled by reissues of his albums. Subject of a documentary in 2017 Betty: They Say I’m DifferentBetty Davis released her first song in 40 years in 2019, A Little Bit Hot Tonight.

For artist Janelle Monae, she is one of “godmothers” behind “redefining how black women in music can be perceived”. “We’re just grains of sand in her ‘Bettyness'”, added singer Erykah Badu about Betty Davis.