Jan Davis
Jan Davis began playing guitar professionally at the ripe-old age of 16. Born in Hollywood, California, he found himself living in the area of his dreams.
Throughout the 60s, Jan Davis was working non-stop as one of the most booked studio musicians whenever gigs called for an unforgettable lead or rhythm guitar. Jan wasn't much into surf sounds then, as he was way into Rock 'n Roll with his custom blue Fender guitar.
Jan graduated from being a recognized teen-player when he opted into doing lead guitar with the ever-popular B. BUMBLE & THE STINGERS. He was even named group leader while the Stingers were still a struggling bunch of studio musicians, mainly for Jan's songwriting and guitar ability. Their inovative instrumental tunes are still being aired and CD's are selling, worldwide.
In the mid-sixties, Jan co-wrote and played lead guitar on "The Fugitive," released on A&M Records. (This single is presently included on various Jan Davis Guitar CDs.)
Jan continued the battle for popularity by taking up acoustic guitar and continues to be praised by his peers for his unusual guitar tuning ability, which Jan terms as: Hawaiian tuning. Many guitarists of our time have attempted to duplicate Jan's artistry on guitar, to no avail.
Soon, Jan took his acoustic guitar to another level. Influenced by SABICAS, he found his niche in a dancable Flamenco style, as heard on his "Hot Sauce" a Top-Ten Adult Contemporary charting hit on Billboard.
By this time, Jan had written and produced numerous instrumentals, each with its own Flamenco flavor. His guru was Mr. Rene' J. Hall, who wrote most of Jan's arrangements, from his early beginning with B. Bumble & The Stingers. Only now it was time to move on. On they did, to the concert circuit.
Jan told us, "One of the biggest thrills of my life was playing solo guitar in front of Philharmonic orchestras, and the most memorable was with Rene' Hall arranging and conducting. Those were times I'll always cherish and I hope Rene's spirit stays with me."
Film and music video scoring was something Jan had always wanted to do. A video shoot was set up, using the rugged and beautiful California coastline, including Corona del Mar, Laguna and Newport Beach as a backdrop. Jan wrote and arranged a nine-selection score entitled, "Concert By The Sea," This soundtrack is a major accomplishment, as Jan performs on video his Flamenco, Classical and even a jazz composition, on dual acoustic guitars. Close up shots of his guitar fingering are extraordinary. These fantastic selections were so well received, it's also a CD album, released on Stone Tiger Records. (Go to YouTube to view "Gypsy From Andalusia.")
Jan's fans asked, "Can you sing?" This was the beginning of The Spain Gang. Jan brought together seven of the finest musicians he could find and formed a group unlike any others around. They all love "Bad Boy" Jan's Flamenco-based concepts and they found out he could sing blues, rock and pop!
The Spain Gang's first release was a CD/EP on the Stone Tiger label, entitled: "I Loved You Too Much." Radio stations from New York to Hawaii soon picked the lead cut of the same title to be on their Top 30 playlists, mainly due to the hard-hitting lyric, immediately used on a PSA, (Public Service Announcement)still being broadcasted nationally, with Jan Davis as national spokesman for abused and battered women.
All players in The Spain Gang also related to the English and Spanish versions of "Coyote," also included on the EP. These two popular cuts were selected as the only vocals out of 18 selections on their CD album: Rock 'N' Flamenco. Listen, and you'll hear why "Coyote" was chosen for its vocal content. Upon early release of "Rock 'N' Flamenco," the lead cut, "Flamenco Loco," charted at #8 on Latin charts across the USA and is still going strong in dance clubs everywhere.
"Diversified Genres," CD album, contains two or more cuts from five CD albums. You'll hear "Shazzam," (Rock) with its controversial PMS lyric. "Piece of My Heart," (Rock) A red-hot Janis Joplin remake! Altogether, there are more than twenty different genres heard, including Smooth Jazz, Latin, Blues, Classical, New Age and Pop!
Three cuts from "Diversified Genres" were selected by Ziggy Films (New York) for their worldwide released documentary, shown on PBS-TV throughout the USA, entitled: "Ride On Brother." This is the story of six firefighters who, after going through pure hell at ground zero for two full months, set off on November 11, 2001 for a 3,000 mile bike ride to thank Americans for their support after the 9/11/01 horror.
The titles used in this heartwarming film were: "Dark Blue,"
"Summer Fantasy" and "Fugitive," as the firefighting heroes rode into Southern California on I-10, heading for Palm Springs.
2008 news: Jan is currently producing his new Blues/Rock vocal CD album, presently untitled and soon to be released.
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