Billy Davis (2)

Billy Davis (born July 11, 1932, Detroit, Michigan USA - died September 2, 2004, New Rochelle, New York, USA) was a songwriter, record producer and singer.

Do NOT confuse with jazz songwriter/arranger/pianist [a=Wild Bill Davis] or guitar player [a=Billy Davis (9)] who also knew [a=Berry Gordy].

Davis was a cousin of [a430878] and became the manager of his doo wop group, The Aims, submitting their recordings to [l33931] Records - where the label eventually changed their name to the [a86093]. A relationship with [url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/380085-Gwen-Gordy-Fuqua]Gwen Gordy[/url] lead to his compositional skills being teamed with her brother [a229467]. Under the pseudonym [a635090] he penned a raft of hits with Gordy, including "Reet Petite" for another of his cousins, [a69375]. In 1958, Davis and Gwen Gordy formed [l128728] - eventually merged with Berry Gordy's [l1723] label. Feeling sidelined he moved to Chess Records to help them compete in the burgeoning soul music market, leading to seminal hits such as "Rescue Me" by [a26927].

In 1968, Davis joined the McCann-Erickson Agency in New York as an advertising executive rising to become Senior Vice President and Music Director. He helped create commercial 'jingles' for brands such as Coca Cola ("I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke" - later re-written as "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing"), Miller Beers, Sony, Nabisco and Nescafé. His inspiration for the Coca Cola jingle is evident in the [a1274131] song "Mom, True Love And Apple Pie".