What do you mean who’s Betty Davis? Betty DAVIS! The ‘first lady of funk’. Friend to Jimi, Sly, Carlos Santana and Herbie Hancock. Wife (briefly) to Miles. Model. Producer/ singer/ songwriter on four classic funk-rock LPs in the 70s. Oh – yeah – and victim of sexism and censorship. Which are the main reasons why she suddenly disappeared at the tail end of the seventies and doesn’t have
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Tag Archives: Betty Davis
BETTY DAVIS: ‘Is It Love Or Desire?’ LP Update
The unreleased fourth LP Is It Love Or Desire? by 70s funk-rock queen Betty Davis is finally due to see the light this September on Light In The Attic Records.
A former model, Betty Mabry was briefly married to jazz legend Miles Davis and turned the big man onto Sly Stone and Hendrix – thus she was a major catalyst in the creation of Miles’ landmark psychedelic epic Bitches Brew. She went on to release three massive and insanely overlooked funk-rock LPs (Betty Davis, They Say I’m Different and the mighty Nasty Gal) with a band she put together by cherry-picking members of The Family Stone and Tower Of Power.
Is It Love Or Desire? will be accompanied by sleeve notes from Oliver Wang of soul-sides.com.
BUZZ CHART – JAN. 09
1. (NEW) THE REGALS – Sure Taking Care Of Me (Single)(Jupiter Finland)
Comes on like Tom Jones singing a mental funk soul bomb. Proof that sometimes B sides are better!
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2. (NEW) DA WIESEL – Cool Hot Grits – (Single)(Sunsetsoul)
Another One Bites the Dust B-line? Roots Manuva? Why aren’t you dancing?
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3. (NEW) UGLY DUCKLING – Right Now (Audacity LP) (Fat Beats)
Einstein digs deep in the vintage funk, Andy C and Dizzy start the party.
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4. (NEW) SIR BEANS OBE feat. Koaste – The Jingle (Unreleased)
Yet another massive cut from Beans topped with tight rhymes from Koaste.
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5. (NEW) BLU – We Got U (A Day Late, A Dollar Short LP) (Unreleased)
Coast to coast unite! Super mellow flows from L.A.’s Blu; dope beats from NY’s Sene.
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6. (NEW) BETTY DAVIS – Come Take Me
The original queen of filthy funk rock pops up on dope re-press.
ListenRead Review…
7. (NEW) THE KILLER METERS – Dance, Move, Shake! (Single) (Breakin Bread)
Massive slice of funk-rock with vocalist Karime Kendra coming on like Betty Davis.
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8. (5) ANDY TAYLOR feat. Louisa Rox (Unreleased)
Ridiculously euphoric funky anthem. 3rd month in the chart!
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9. (NEW) K DELIGHT – The Life & Times Of A Scratch Machine
11 minute scratch extravaganza.
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10. (10) T-BIRD & THE BREAKS – Juice (Learn About It LP)(Unreleased)
Funky-ass soul so raw it’s still bleeding.
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BETTY DAVIS – Come Take Me/ You Won’t See Me In The Morning, He Was A Big Freak/ Don’t You Call Her No Tramp – 2008 – 7″ reviews
Rating: 
The re-release of the former Mrs Miles Davis’ back catalogue is long overdue though it hasn’t happened properly yet. If you’re uninitiated I’ll explain the rules: if you like funk and you ever see anything with Betty Davis written on it you buy it. Wild child Betty Mabry was a model who turned Miles onto Hendrix (and, according to rumour, turned Hendrix on a bit himself), borrowed some of Sly Stone’s band when Sly went a.w.o.l. and made several LPs of scorchingly filthy rock-tinged funk. These cuts’ll give you an idea and they ain’t even the best stuff she did.
Out now on Light In The Attic US
Listen to Betty Davis – Come Take Me/ You Won’t See Me In The Morning
Listen to Betty Davis – He Was A Big Freak, Don’t You Call Her No Tramp
