Rainy Davis

Rainy Davis
Background information
Birth name	Denise Lorraine Davis
Born	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genres	R&B, pop, hip hop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, record producer
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Supertronics Columbia/CBS
Associated acts	Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri

Denise Lorraine Davis (born December 24), better known by her stage name Rainy Davis, is an American R&B songwriter, singer, and record producer. Out of four Billboard charted singles, Davis is known best for her song "Sweetheart." A generation of fans adopted the song as an anthem to romantic love, giving it a permanent and powerful place in their collective psyche. The single was originally released on the New York-based independent label called Supertronics Records. However, after the song became a hit in the clubs, then on urban radio and eventually crossing over to pop radio, Columbia Records A&R Exec Joe McEwen offered Rainy Davis an attractive production-artist deal, which included buying Rainy's previous contract and masters outright from Supertronics for worldwide distribution. Rainy Davis went on to record two albums for Columbia and received numerous awards for her contributions to hit songs over the years.

Biography

Davis was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Even before being famous, Davis was paying her dues. She was singing with a local band called Jamilia (with band members Keith Sweat, Charisse Davis until she joined the female singing group Musique, created and produced by Patrick Adams, which garnered the club pop hits "In The Bush" and "Keep On Jumpin."

After a few weeks of rehearsals with their new band, Musique was out on the road, and Rainy Davis was a live performance member of the female trio group Musique with Becky Bell and Marisa Dejean. Rainy was now on her first tour as a member of a group with two songs that hit #1 on the Billboard Disco Action Charts and then crossing over to a pop hit record. The tour was booked throughout North America by the Norby Walters Agency.

Columbia Records dubbed Rainy Davis "America's Sweetheart," then sent Davis on a national tour to support her debut album. The tour included an appearance on Don Cornelius' TV show Soul Train and a performance at the world famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York. Davis was also a presenter at the Rhythm & Blues awards at Bally's in Las Vegas. Rainy Davis remains a creative force in the music industry. Her publishing company, RainySongs, is a member of ASCAP. She holds interests as a songwriter and music publisher in recordings by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, The Cover Girls, Inner Life, Apollo 440 and Rainy Davis.

At the request of Amir Bayyan, (personal friend of the Jacksons), Rainy Davis wrote "Sweetheart" for Janet Jackson. When the demo was finished, all the songs for her 1986 album Control, had been chosen. Amir Bayyan, Christine Bayyan, and Chris Lord-Alge suggested to Davis that she release the song herself, and, as a result, it became a major hit in the dance and club scene and on urban and pop radio.

Discography

Albums:

• Sweetheart (1987)
• Ouch (1988)

Singles:

• "Sweetheart" (1986)
• "Lowdown So & So" (1986)
• "Still Waiting" (1987)
• "4-Ever" (1987)
• "Indian Giver" (1988)
• "Ouch" (1988)
• "Storybook Romance" (1993)

Singles

External links

• Official Website
• MySpace
• Rainysongs Entertainment
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Hi5