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We're back to drop a bit of knowledge on you. This week's featured release is from Smash Hit Music Co: The music of Gary Davis in a continuous mix by Mr. Chin: "A New Jersey Story".

Gary Davis is one living legend that you probably have never heard of. Don't beat yourself up about it. Less than four years ago, Gary Davis didn't even know who "Gary Davis" was. It took Jeff Overton, an avid record collector trying to get any extra vinyl that Gary might have lying around to part with, to let Gary in on his own seemingly secret legacy. A long conversation later, Gary discovered that the music he made nearly twenty four years prior had become some of the most valuable collectible releases in eBay history. Some 12" releases go anywhere from $300 to $700 a piece.

I had the good fortune of getting my history lesson straight from the source, Mr. Gary Davis himself. What follows is less an interview and more of a "histography" that brings this magical record to light and Mr. Davis' amazingly storied career to an even longer life.

The Early Years

Raised in Camden N.J. by a father who was an R.C.A. electrical engineer, Gary was one of the first kids in the state to hear a high fidelity stereo sound system...

We're back to drop a bit of knowledge on you. This week's featured release is from Smash Hit Music Co: The music of Gary Davis in a continuous mix by Mr. Chin: "A New Jersey Story".

Gary Davis is one living legend that you probably have never heard of. Don't beat yourself up about it. Less than four years ago, Gary Davis didn't even know who "Gary Davis" was. It took Jeff Overton, an avid record collector trying to get any extra vinyl that Gary might have lying around to part with, to let Gary in on his own seemingly secret legacy. A long conversation later, Gary discovered that the music he made nearly twenty four years prior had become some of the most valuable collectible releases in eBay history. Some 12" releases go anywhere from $300 to $700 a piece.

I had the good fortune of getting my history lesson straight from the source, Mr. Gary Davis himself. What follows is less an interview and more of a "histography" that brings this magical record to light and Mr. Davis' amazingly storied career to an even longer life.

The Early Years

Raised in Camden N.J. by a father who was an R.C.A. electrical engineer, Gary was one of the first kids in the state to hear a high fidelity stereo sound system. His father built one that would get much use and feature his own eclectic tastes that spanned Jazz, lots of Classical, and (much to Gary's chagrin) Country and Western; an old habit from being around lots of "good ol' boys" in the Korean War. Gary's father had a larger house than most of his relatives, so when his Uncle Richard "Groove" Holmes got a new organ from Hammond, that "old B3" was brought over to the Davis house. This instigated Gary's parents to start piano lessons that carried over to Gary being able to play the church organ. The B3 is a such a unique instrument that it would only fill the Davis household for a few years before Uncle Richard came back to retrieve the classic organ, as the new gear just didn't have the same sound.

Around this time Gary would also be introduced to his other passion while on vacation with the family. This was when he was allowed to use the 8mm film camera to shoot some footage. When they returned, Gary and his siblings went on to make monster movies and other projects for themselves and friends.

Gary started college at Rutgers University where he hoped to follow his fathers footsteps into electrical engineering.

His heart was into music and so he transferred to Glassboro State (which is now Rowan U.). Here he would study Jazz piano, music theory, and composition. One of his Professors being Manny Alban, a Jazz legend that had done session work with many greats, one of them being Stan Kenton. Gary learned chord progressions and tapped into something he had noticed his uncle doing - playing a steady funky bass line with his left hand and an exploding melody with his right. Recording some of his Uncle’s sessions would lead to future projects that could not have been foreseen at the end of the 70's.

The Fusion of Disco, Jazz and Rap

A collective group of young neighborhood musicians, including Gary and his brother, called themselves the "Final Explosions." They later became "Sanction" and garnered session work in New York City. One of the first sessions was for Wayne Ford, where Gary would meet Peter Brown. Peter owned P&P records and was a man of the street, knowing how to hype projects and get people together. Gary likens him to a modern urban Hip Hop mogul who is all over the place, some days easy to find running the show, and at other times impossible to find for weeks on end.

His brother joined the military, left the group, and would be replaced by Darrell Felt. Darrell's father had been a jazz man so he and Gary hit it off immediately. This took their projects in a more wide-scoping direction without limits. Gary used his knowledge of orchestral string arrangements along with jazz progressions, and fused them to the beats that Peter was looking for. These compositions were aimed straight at dance floors and roller skating rinks. Having young vocalist Clyde Alexander, (15) be the only artist to sign on the track and receive artist credit. Gary was given credit as producer. In those days everyone had a role. Vocals, Guitars, horns, percussion as varied as behind a kit to timbale, vibes, marimbas, toms, handclaps, vocal yelps, Gary was arranger, performer/pianos, organs keys, & song writer. "Gotta get your love" on heavenly star records by Clyde Alexander & Sanction would go on to be the single that would fetch record eBay prices.

Listening to these early tracks one can hear Blues, Jazz, R and B, Soul, Funk, Disco, Hip Hop, and what would later become House, Techno, and Trance. Ultimately what the beat is doing is how the music becomes defined. These loose free sessions with Gary as the arranger and song writer didn't succumb to boundaries of genre, and were done with such musical knowledge and awareness that they became the valuables they are today. Always trying to take his feelings and emotions, and then combine his many influences into a song.

The Start of Chocolate Star

After going back and forth between the city and his home in Camden, Mr. Davis lost touch with Peter Brown. Brown had already introduced Gary to many of his foundation of artists, such as vocalists, The Jones Sisters; and drummer, Michael Campbell. From those early sessions Gary had met many of the people who he would continue to work with over the next four years. With the elements in place, he set out to create his own controlled project.

Local D.J. and graphic artist, Dennis Jones, helped push Gary to produce Chocolate Star. Gary had his own four-track recorder then, so he could write and layer tracks. Uncle Holmes even let Gary use one of his early expensive synthesizers. Combine that with one of the earliest Casio drum machines and you have the makings of a classic twenty seven years in the making.

These songs such as "Pop," "The Professor is Space Walking," "Stay With Me," "Gee Dee," "Queen Constance Theme," "Searching For My Lover," and "Remember Me" all contain an original elegance that nearly screams the definition of Funk music...

Listening to these early tracks one can hear Blues, Jazz, R and B, Soul, Funk, Disco, Hip Hop, and what would later become House, Techno, and Trance. Ultimately what the beat is doing is how the music becomes defined. These loose free sessions with Gary as the arranger and song writer didn't succumb to boundaries of genre, and were done with such musical knowledge and awareness that they became the valuables they are today. Always trying to take his feelings and emotions, and then combine his many influences into a song.

The Start of Chocolate Star

After going back and forth between the city and his home in Camden, Mr. Davis lost touch with Peter Brown. Brown had already introduced Gary to many of his foundation of artists, such as vocalists, The Jones Sisters; and drummer, Michael Campbell. From those early sessions Gary had met many of the people who he would continue to work with over the next four years. With the elements in place, he set out to create his own controlled project.

Local D.J. and graphic artist, Dennis Jones, helped push Gary to produce Chocolate Star. Gary had his own four-track recorder then, so he could write and layer tracks. Uncle Holmes even let Gary use one of his early expensive synthesizers. Combine that with one of the earliest Casio drum machines and you have the makings of a classic twenty seven years in the making.

These songs such as "Pop," "The Professor is Space Walking," "Stay With Me," "Gee Dee," "Queen Constance Theme," "Searching For My Lover," and "Remember Me" all contain an original elegance that nearly screams the definition of Funk music.

It was during this time Gary garnered the nickname, "The Professor," due to his education and slightly reclusive ways of retreating to the studio to work on the next thing.

The move to Florida and into "Miami Bass" and Films

Camden was, and still remains, a poor city with a high crime rate. After a few vacations in Florida visiting Uncles and cousins, he was convinced to come down to "live in heaven and leave hell." This was in 1984 when the long grooves of Disco had become the rhythms and foundation of rap music. While working in fast food at Popeye's in Riviera Beach, he convinced managers to use some of the air time they had bought with a local television station to shoot a commercial. It had to have some impact, because soon he had Chocolate Star and his four-track studio up and running again. This led to making his own music videos and working at and producing his own series called, "He is a ...?" for WXEL. This lasted for two and a half years with eighty seven episodes being produced. One of them led to a short film called, "He Is A Robber?" In this time, Gary was instrumental in attracting creative minds around him and bringing lots of ideas to fruition. His talent pool was many of the names that would become the foundation that Miami Bass would be built upon. Artists such as K.C. Cooli C., Damon Ware and BWare records, Jock B the Human Beat Box, Baby Fresh, JB Ski, D Kriss, DJ Wiz and Danny D who would produce the first "Boom I got Your Girlfriend." Even Luther Campbell was known to drop in before he became Luke Skywalker and started working with the Two Live Crew. This era is what Gary expects to have come in to the spotlight next. He is trying to garner all of the original tracks and reels together for a compilation.

Then there was a short stint running an old theater in collaboration with the city of Pahokie, FL; which combined cinema, a music and film studio, and a positive hang out for young people. Doing this for a year, not having the control he wanted, knowing he couldn't do everything himself, and wanting to see ideas come to reality, Gary focused more of his time completing film projects which allowed him to put some of his own songs in the soundtracks. Being very good at corralling talent has allowed him to keep his streak of indie films alive and well today. Since 1995, he has released fourteen independent productions in a capacity from writer, director, cinematographer, and producer. His last few films: "Jade and the White Tiger," "Sweet and Innocent," "Sinners Prayer," and "Zen;" have gathered so much attention, they are now available through Netflix.

Epilogue

This brings us full circle in our story. It happened to be through "Jade and The White Tiger" that allowed savvy Internet shopper Jeff Overton to wonder, "Is this the same Gary Davis?" That was nearly four years ago. In that time Gary has had a musical reunion with Peter Brown in New York, worked a deal with Traffic Entertainment, and released "The Best Of Gary Davis." Many of his master tracks are in the hands of Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez and Terry Hunter to be remixed. He sent the master reels of his Uncle Richard "Groove" Holmes to Mr. Chen for ep.II which has allowed him to do the "Natalie Cole thang" and play along. He is currently working on part II of "Zen" with "Count Osaka." This is a story of revenge by a half-black, half-Japanese Vampire in 1750 Japan.

These are the three major phases of the storied career that makes Mr. Davis so unique: Disco/Rap Pioneer, Miami Bass Instigator, and Independent Film Maker. I asked Gary to leave us with some musings and, as usual, he didn't fail to deliver.

"There is nothing wrong with digital distribution at all. It allows more people to hear the music… Do what you like to do, and follow through. Don't let anyone keep you from following your dreams and passions. If you do something well, sooner or later people are going to discover what you’re doing. Do not depend on other people to have control over your destiny. If you want to do it, just do it! Don't worry about your age or what you may have done in the past. Some people find their calling late in life. Educate the people, and pass the music on."

We here at NECODO will do just that, Gary. Thanks.

-J Grindle

Quick joke for you guys - this is for the programmers.

Q: What is a bird's favorite programming language?

A: awk!

Q: What is a bird's favorite part about descendants of C?

A: Ternary expressions!

Comin up next week we got another dubstep jam from The Bug, strutty hip hop from Take on Inner Current, tech-house remixes of RS-232 on Blank Records, and some ruff drumnbass from 3rd Degree out on Ground Level. Until next time!