Sedona musician Sammy Davis said of why he continues to perform: “You love it, I love it, and I look forward to doing it every time I get on stage.” “I have a bug that keeps you going. It was built into me. Growing up, I sang all the way from a young age until I went to college. [music] It’s a big part of my life. ”
Davis has logged thousands of miles on the pavement and thousands of hours in front of the microphone since he started playing six days a week in Minneapolis. Sunday was a trip.
“I’m from Chicago, so my neighborhood was full of emotion, earth, wind, and fire talent,” Davis recalled. “But I was singing rock as much as I was singing Motown music…One of the things I always wanted to do as a performer was to perform with some of the Motown groups. , I did that. I opened up with the Temptations and the Supremes… It’s been an interesting journey.”
“Some of the first songs [were] I love gospel music because I grew up singing coming out of church. [in] Neighborhood choirs, neighborhood groups,” Davis continued. “That rock influence has always raised my energy level…The rock songs that I used to do, from INXS to Journey, inspired me. And that’s what makes this work interesting. That’s what I’m doing. [I’m] I’m lucky enough to be able to sing these different styles, which is why I can’t really say I’m an R&B singer, or a rock singer, or a blues singer. I’m doing everything. ”
Davis said the joy of performing has kept him honing his craft over the decades.
“I was brought here [from] When we went on tour to Minneapolis in 1991 to play Los Abrigados Resort, we came to play for two weeks and said, “Next time we come back here, we’re staying here.” ” Davis recalled. A few months later, he returned to Sedona while on tour with his band, Sammy Fortune, and has remained ever since, recording some of his most memorable musical moments here.
“I opened my heart for the Temptations at Cultural Park in Sedona, and a few months before that I opened my heart for the Temptations in Atlantic City,” Davis said. “And I had to do something that most people don’t get to do before the Temptations go on stage: in the back. [the] When we get on stage, we form a circle and put our hands together in prayer. And they called me to join hands before they came out on stage to pray here in Sedona. ”
“I don’t think my feet will ever reach the stage. [I was] It floats all over the stage,” Davis said.
An even more depressing experience was losing my home in Oak Creek Village in a fire on May 25, 2012. Two homes were destroyed by fire from adjacent homes.
“The community came out and helped everyone who was injured in the fire. It wasn’t just me,” Davis said. “We have quite a few friends who stayed here while we got back on our feet. People helped us. That’s why I like to give back every time I have the opportunity to help another organization.”
He attributes his resilience to a lifetime spent on stage.
“You’ll always have something like [go wrong]that happens in every performance,” Davis said. “You’ll never be able to achieve a perfect performance. Sometimes you’ll have problems with the microphone or it’ll go off-key. But this experience helped me realize, ‘Okay, this is what’s happening. It accumulates to the point where you can recognize that it is there. And then your experience comes through and you have to get through it and keep the show going until it’s unnoticeable…but I’m pretty good at that. ”
He recalled one show he played in North Dakota during a snowstorm. The snow was so heavy that the band could not see behind them during the drive out, and Davis ended up arriving two hours late with several other members of the band still on the way. They started the show with himself, bassist, guitarist, and keyboardist before the full band arrived.
“We improvised until they arrived. Little things like that you have to bounce back from,” Davis said.
Davis will be appearing at the 16th Annual Walking on Main at Cottonwood on Saturday, November 9th from 3:30pm to 5pm, followed by Northern Arizona Hospice 3 from 5pm to 9pm. She is scheduled to appear at the annual Lady Luck Casino Gala. Afternoon at the Cottonwood Main Stage. For more information, call (928) 458-4796.
