Stu Davis
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 |
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| Stu Davis | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | David Stewart |
| Born | July 1, 1921 |
| Origin |  Regina, Saskatchewan |
| Died | March 25, 2007 (aged 85) |
| Genre(s) | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1950s - 1970s |
Stu Davis (b. David Stewart July 1, 1921 in Regina, Canada; d. March 25, 2007) was a Canadian musician.
[edit] Career
Davis was the son of Scottish immigrant parents, as a youth he was a collector of cowboy songs and ballads. Davis began his radio career at 18, when his winning a talent contest earned him a regular program. It was at this time he adopted the stage-name Stu Davis. As his fame grew, he also began to be known as 'Canada's Cowboy Troubador'.
Davis was popular across Canada as the star of numerous Canadian Broadcasting Corportion (CBC) network radio and television series of the 1950s and 60s, including ‘Rope Around the Sun’, ‘Red River Jamboree’, and ‘Trail Riding Troubadour’. He was also heard on daily broadcasts on CBC radio through much of the 1950s.
He was also known in the United States for his early Sonora and RCA Victor recordings (late 1940s). As well, many of his more than 200 published songs were available in the U.S. from Acuff-Rose Publishers. In the late 40s and early 50s, he made several appearances on such American radio shows as the 'National Barn Dance' from Chicago and the 'Grand Ole Opry' in Nashville.
In a career that sanned more than 30 years, Davis recorded more than thirty albums for RCA Victor, London, and various other labels. Some of his later albums were released under the Richmond label in the U.S. and his most recent was a retrospective produced in 1987 by Cattle Records of Germany.
Through the years he shared stages with contemporary artists such as The Sons of the Pioneers, Wilf Carter, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, and Elton Britt.
Davis was very encouraging to younger performers. He was especially fond of The Mercey Brothers and Jimmie Pirie, artists with whom he worked in the late 1950s and early 60s.
His songs were recorded by numerous singers, including Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow, and Ray Price. His most successful song was Eddy Arnold’s ‘What a Fool I Was’, which was the second biggest selling country recording of 1948, taking #2 billing only to Arnold’s 'Anytime'.
Stu Davis also hosted programs for several private radio stations across western Canada: CKCK and CKRM in Regina, CJCA in Edmonton, CFCN and CFAC in Calgary, and CKY in Winnipeg.
He spent the latter part of the 1960s performing from the CBC Edmonton studios. His last television series was produced here: 'Trail Riding Troubadour', an historical music/documentary filmed in colour on location across the Canadian prairies and British Columbia. His last television special was produced in 1970.
Davis retired from music shortly thereafter, devoting attention to a cattle ranch and real estate investments in Alberta.
He was predeceased by his wife Evelyn in 1986. They were married 43 years and had two sons.
Stu Davis was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993.
[edit] References
- Wills, Brian. '... meanwhile, back at the Lazy SD... ' CanComp, 42, Sep 1969
- Miller, N.D.. 'Let's Go Back To the Country', Cattle Records MonoLP112 (Liner Notes), 1987
- Foster, Don. 'The Stu Davis story... pioneer of Canadian country radio & TV,' CMN, vol 10, Jan 1990
- Thorne, Duncan. 'Life & Times', Edmonton Journal, Tuesday, March 27, 2007
