Skeeter Davis

对于这个已有些陌生的名字,或许会有人问:"她是谁?是乡村艺人吗......?" 这位曾跨界而今已默默无闻的歌手,虽已于去年离开世间,但在乡村大家庭里应永有她的一席之地.遥想出道之初,作为Davis Sisters二重组的成员之一,她本该有大的发展,无奈造化弄人,徒留遗憾!其中故事限于篇幅,就此打住.

这首63年乡村及流行排行榜双料亚军的歌曲,(Cashbox 年终冠军)据说原是作者为怀念亡父写就,虽是流行曲风,但由Skeeter Davis演唱,却赋予其不同的生命,在键盘连绵的三连音中,少女诉说着无助的哀愁,全曲流畅而抒情.声部和音亦来自歌者本人。近半个世纪过去了，当耳畔重又响起她纯真而略显生涩的歌声，您听到了什么？失恋的故事还是对于生命的叹息？我珍爱此歌,如上所述并不在歌曲的本身,而在于歌者所带来的气息,这听上去多少有些"痴人说梦"!但于我却是真切的!如同微微风中远野的芬芳

Skeeter Davis never received much critical attention, but in the 50s and 60s, she recorded some of the most accessible crossover country music, occasionally skirting rock & roll. Born Mary Penick, Davis took her last name after forming a duo with Betty Jack Davis, the Davis Sisters. Their 1953 single I Forgot More Than Youll Ever Know was a big country hit; its B-side, the remarkable Rock-a-Bye Boogie, foreshadowed rockabilly. That same year, however, the duos career was cut short by a tragic car accident in which Betty Jack was killed and Skeeter was severely injured. Skeeter did attempt to revive the Davis Sisters with Betty Jacks sister but was soon working as a solo artist.

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 ballad 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.