Farewell Betty Davis, raw funk pioneer
Although their marriage lasted only a year, their influence on one another continues to reverberate through modern music
Betty Davis, funk’s founding mother, famous for her rough, raw vocal style and sexually assertive lyrics passed away earlier this month, and although she hadn’t engaged with the music industry or the public at large in several decades, her departure is a blow. A pioneer in a most combatant sense, Davis fought to make music her way, and when she realised, hinting at what would become her own signature sound.
