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Skeeter Davis was born Mary Frances Penick on December 30, 1931 in Dry Ridge, KY. Young Mary Frances was the 1st of 7 children. Her grandfather nicknamed her Skeeter because she had so much energy and the name stuck with her from that day on. Skeeter met her singing partner and best friend Betty Jack Davis in 1947 when the Penicks moved to Covington, KY. The girls hit it off right away and sang at high school. They named themselves "The Davis Sisters". The Davis Sisters began performing on programs such as "Barnyard Frolics" on WJR in Detroit, and caught the attention of RCA Producer Steve Sholes, who signed Skeeter and Betty Jack to a recording contract in 1953. Their release "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" shot to #1 on the country charts and hit the top 20 in the pop charts. They were the first girl duo to reach #1. Sadly, as "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" became such a huge hit, a tragic car accident would take the life of Betty Jack Davis and Skeeter was badly injured. Skeeter did carry on singing with Betty Jack's sister, Georgie as the Davis Sisters until 1956.
Skeeter became a solo artist for RCA in 1958 under the wing of the legendary guitarist & producer Chet Atkins. Skeeter's first solo hit was 'Lost to A Geisha Girl" which was a top 20 country single. Chet had played guitar on the Davis Sisters sessions and played guitar on Skeeter's solo records. Skeeter's next big break came in 1959 with the top 5 hit, "Set Him Free" and another top 20 hit, "Homebreaker". She became a member of the Grand Ole Opry that year also and became the first female country singer ever nominated for a Grammy award for "Set Him Free". More hits followed such as "My Last Date with You", "Where I Ought to Be", and "Optimistic". Skeeter's first solo trip on the pop charts came with "(I Can't Help You") I'm Falling Too" (#2 on country, top 40 pop). Her version of Floyd Cramer's "Last Date" which was called "My Last Date With You" included lyrics written by Skeeter. It was #5 on country charts & top 30 on pop.
The hit which would define Skeeter Davis' career and was her biggest hit was "The End Of the World". The song was huge on pop & country charts worldwide in 1963. No other country female artist had ever achieved crossover pop success at this time, other than Patsy Cline, who had passed away in 1963. In fact, Skeeter Davis is the only woman in the history of the Billboard charts to hit the top 10 singles list with "The End of the World" on all four singles charts (the Hot 100 pop/rock, country, easy listening, and soul/rhythm and blues) at the same time. "I Can't Stay Mad at You" was the next country pop hit (written by Carole King) for Skeeter, it hit the top 10 in pop in 1963. More hits were to follow for Skeeter, including "I'm Saving My Love", "Gonna Get Along Without You Now", "What Does It Take to Keep A Man Like You Satisfied" and so many more. Skeeter Davis was nominated for the Grammy award five times, including 4 for Best Female Country Performance. These were for "He Says the Same Things to Me" (1964), "Sunglasses" (1965), "What Does It Take" (1967) and "One Tin Soldier" (1972). Skeeter continued to have hits through the 1970's, including "I'm A Lover (Not A Fighter)" and "Bus Fare to Kentucky".
Skeeter was a rebel by Nashville standards, embracing rock and roll when her Opry counterparts weren't so thrilled about it, including an appearance by the Byrds on the Grand Ole Opry (Gram Parsons was a member of the Byrds at that time). Skeeter performed tours with Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars, opened shows for Elvis, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys and so many more. Skeeter's band had longer hair than the other Opry acts' musicians were wearing then. She spoke out against the Vietnam War. And she became one of two Opry acts (along with Hank Williams Sr.) to be suspended from the Grand Ole Opry for taking a stand protesting the arrests of some young evangelists who were crusading in Nashville. The suspension lasted 15 months. Skeeter continued to record throughout 1970's and 1980's including a very fine collaboration with NRBQ on Rounder Records, "She Sings, They Play". She remained a member of the Opry until her death and performed frequently on the Opry through 2000. Skeeter also wrote two books in the 1990's. Her wonderful autobiography, "Bus Fare to Kentucky" was published in 1993. She wrote a children's book, "The Christmas Note" in 1998 (with Cathie Pelletier) which was based on a true story from her childhood. Both books have received much praise. Skeeter's music has been featured in films such as "Girl Interrupted", "Riding in Cars with Boys" and "The Simpsons" television show.
Skeeter also traveled to many foreign countries with her music, including Japan, England, Singapore, Sweden, Barbados, St. Lucia and Jamaica. Skeeter was very popular in these countries. In fact, Skeeter performed in Barbados, St. Lucia and Jamaica all in the late 1990's to sell-out crowds. Skeeter was the #1 country singer in the Caribbean. Her picture was featured on a postage stamp in Antigua. At the time of Skeeter's death, she was working on a recording project with the famed Jamaican group, The Fab Five. It is hoped these recordings will see the light of day at some point, as Skeeter's voice sounded so amazing on these tracks!
Skeeter was the ultimate fighter in her battle with cancer. Skeeter never, ever gave up, neither did her family and friends. We all believed in her. She had successfully overcame breast cancer in 1988, but it reappeared in 1996. Many a night Skeeter would go onstage at the Grand Ole Opry or in concert in the Caribbean islands or a city in the US, in so much pain. But she would put on that beautiful smile, bounce out on the stage and sing her heart out for the people. She lost her battle on September 19, 2004 at the age of 72. Her funeral was held at the Ryman Auditorium. It was truly a ceremony fit for the country/pop music legend that she was.
There is not enough room on this page to cover all of Skeeter Davis' accomplishments. Special thanks to Andy Frost for all the good work putting this page together! This page is being maintained by Skeeter's long time friend (and harmony singer from 1996 til 2002), Donna Frost. We are here to discuss all things Skeeter and want you to join us! It is our wish to keep Skeeter's music and memory alive forever. We also want to see Skeeter inducted (and rightfully so) into the Country Music Hall of Fame AND the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So sit back and enjoy these great songs and check out the pictures as well! We have some very cool ones you may not have seen before! We'll keep you posted on any Skeeter news, Skeeter-related events. If you have any pics or stories for this page, we welcome them!
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