Michael Davis (bassist)
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MICHAEL DAVIS (Born June 5, 1943 in Detroit, Michigan) is a bass guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer. He replaced original MC5 bassist Pat Burrows when singer Rob Tyner and guitarist Wayne Kramer decided that they like Davis' style and wanted him in the band. Michael Davis, bass, Wayne Kramer, guitar, Fred “Sonic” Smith, guitar, Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson, drums, and Rob Tyner, vocals, are the MC5. Together they were the hardcore of the late 1960s musical revolution that began in the American Midwest. Formed in the fall of 1965, the MC5 created an explosive sound that put them at the forefront of the radical social and political scene in their native Detroit. They became the symbolic figureheads for an artists’ collective called Trans Love Energies, as well as for The White Panther Party, and embodied the character of the entire scene – subversive, extravagant, and totally hip. The MC5 are the proud forefathers of banned albums and censored lyrics and liner notes. As a result of this and their irreverence and anti-government messages, they brought on the ire of concert promoters and the police. The legendary FBI file on the MC5 is rumored to be so extensive that there is an OSHA warning on it for anyone who attempts to lift it.
As the demise of the MC5 loomed, Davis, like several of his band brethren, was a heroin addict. He served time at Lexington Penitetiary, then, upon his release, joined the Ann Arbor based art noise band Destroy All Monsters at the urging of friend Ron Asheton, of The Stooges. Davis spent seven years with Destroy All Monsters, penning the underground punk hits "Nobody Knows", "Meet the Creeper" ,"Little Boyfriend", "Rocking The Cradle" and "Fast City" among others. The band recorded and released on Cherry Red Records, toured the U.K., and then broke up.
Davis then pulled stakes and moved to Arizona, where he played in Blood Orange, and then Rich Hopkins and Luminarios, the latter taking him back in to the studio to record several albums for Germany's Blue Rose Records. In the spring of 2003, Davis reunited with fellow surviving members Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson to play a show at London's legendary 100 Club as part of a promotion for an MC5 inspired line of apparel for Levi Strauss Vintage Clothing. This spawned a 200 city world tour and a trip back into the studio to write new songs.
Following a serious motorcycle crash on a Los Angeles freeway in May of 2006, Davis decided to walk his talk, and, as the MC5 rhetoric goes, "Be A Part Of The Solution." Along with his wife Angela Davis, he launched a non-profit organization called The Music Is Revolution Foundation to support music education in public schools. Volunteers Jake Cavaliere (The Lords of Altamont), Handsome Dick Manitoba (The Dictators), Steve Aoki (Dim Mak Records/Kid Millionaire), Pro-Skater Corey Duffel, Pennywise bassist Randy Bradbury and Obey Giant's Shepard Fairey work alongside Davis to raise funds and public awareness about the ability of music education to increase cognitive ability and test scores, reduce absenteeism and drop-out rates and to inspire a new generation of future voters to learn about other cultures and other times, develop greater understanding of the world around them, and express themselves through music.
Davis also produces records for garage and punk bands, including The Lords of Altamont, Dollhouse, Tokyo Sex Destruction, and OJM.
