Billy Davis Jr.

Billy Davis Jr.

Born: June 26, 1938
in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Billy Davis Jr. (born June 26, 1938) is an American singer and musician, best known as a member of the 5th Dimension. Along with his wife Marilyn McCoo, he had hit records during 1976 and 1977 with "I Hope We Get to Love in Time", "Your Love", and "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)". Davis and McCoo were married in 1969. They became the first African-American married couple to host a network television series, titled The Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. Show, on CBS in the summer of 1977, the year "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" won a Grammy Award.

Billy Davis Jr. was born in St. Louis, Missouri.

Davis joined The 5th Dimension, then called The Versatiles, in 1966. The group's first big hit was with 1967's "Up, Up and Away", written by Jimmy Webb. The song won four 1968 Grammy Awards and was the title track to the 5th Dimension's first hit LP. A year later, the group recorded the song "Stoned Soul Picnic". A medley of "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (from the musical Hair) reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in April to May 1969 and won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. The group's recording of "Wedding Bell Blues" topped the US Hot 100 in November 1969. Davis sang the male lead on the group's singles "Worst That Could Happen", "A Change Is Gonna Come/People Got to Be Free", and "I'll Be Lovin' You Forever".

In 1975, Davis and McCoo left the 5th Dimension and began to perform as a duo. Landing a contract with ABC Records, they recorded their 1976 debut album I Hope We Get to Love in Time. The first single was the title track, which was a moderate hit. The follow-up "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" was an even bigger hit, reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1977. Davis and McCoo were awarded a gold single and a gold album as well as a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. They released one more album on ABC in 1978, produced by Frank Wilson and containing the ballad "My Reason to Be". The pair signed with CBS Records the following year and released their last album as a duo until October 2008 when they released The Many Faces of Love, a collection of hit songs from the 1960s and 1970s.

The album Marilyn and Billy featured the song "Saving All My Love for You", later turned into a number one hit by Whitney Houston. It also contained the disco single "Shine On Silver Moon". The pair decided to go solo professionally in the early 1980s.

In 1982, Davis recorded the gospel album Let Me Have a Dream with Rev. James Cleveland. Davis followed that project with a guest appearance on a jazz/pop album by Scott Scheer.

In 2020, Davis and McCoo released a new album called Blackbird Lennon-McCartney Icons for first time in 30 years. Entrepreneur Kathy Ireland released the album through her record label EE1. The duo said it was a civil rights movement which became a human rights movement with a goal to encourage people to come together during trying times. During an interview about the album on June 29, 2021, Questlove called McCoo and Davis "the first couple of Pop and Soul." They would later appear in Quest's directorial debut, Summer of Soul. ...

Source: Article "Billy Davis Jr." from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Movies for Billy Davis Jr....

David Mirisch, the Man Behind the Golden Stars
Title: David Mirisch, the Man Behind the Golden Stars
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 2021
Type: Movie
The documentary about the life of legendary Hollywood P.R. man David Mirisch.
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Title: Where Are They Now?
Character: Self
Released: June 7, 1999
Type: TV
Where Are They Now? was a television series on VH1 that featured past celebrities and updated on their current professional and personal status. Each episode was dedicated to another genre. Though not always in sequence, some episodes were a continuation of the motif of episodes from the past. Those episodes sometimes had Roman numerals in their title to signify their sequel status.
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Title: The Jamie Foxx Show
Character: William Monroe
Released: August 28, 1996
Type: TV
Texas native Jamie King is an aspiring actor who heads to Hollywood in hopes to find fame and fortune in the entertainment industry. To support himself, he works at his Aunt Helen and Uncle Junior's Los Angeles hotel, the King's Towers.
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Title: Solid Gold
Character: Self
Released: September 13, 1980
Type: TV
Solid Gold was an American syndicated music television series that debuted on September 13, 1980. Like many other shows of its genre, such as American Bandstand, Solid Gold featured musical performances and various other elements such as music videos. What set Solid Gold apart was a group of dancers in revealing costumes who at various points in the program performed various dances to the top ten hits of the week. Many other specials aired in which the dancers would dance to older pop hits as well. Reviews of the show were not always positive, with The New York Times referring to it as "the pop music show that is its own parody...[enacting] mini-dramas...of covetousness, lust and aerobic toning--routines that typically have a minimal connection with the songs that back them up." The series ran until July 23, 1988, and it was usually transmitted on Saturdays in the early evening. In 1986, Solid Gold added the current year to its title, so in the seventh season the show was known as Solid Gold '86/'87. For the eighth and last season the program became known as Solid Gold In Concert, reflecting the addition of more live performances than had previously been featured on the program in the past.
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Rock 'n' Roll Sports Classic
Title: Rock 'n' Roll Sports Classic
Released: May 3, 1978
Type: Movie
The first and final annual “Rock ‘N Roll Sports Classic” which puts some of the world’s biggest music stars in competition against each other.
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Title: The Love Boat
Character: Michael Sr.
Released: September 24, 1977
Type: TV
Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the "Love Boat", where Gopher, Dr. Bricker, Isaac, Julie, and Captain Stubing try their best to please them, and sometimes help them fall in love. Things are not always so easy, but in the end, love wins.
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Title: The Captain and Tennille
Character: Self
Released: September 20, 1976
Type: TV
Hosted by the chart-topping husband and wife team, this 1976-1977 television variety series features a mix of hit music and comedy.
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Title: The Sonny & Cher Show
Character: Self / Various Characters
Released: February 1, 1976
Type: TV
Cher and Sonny Bono starred in this quintessentially '70's TV comedy/variety show. Sonny and Cher's hit songs featured prominently on the show, as they would often sing and perform them between short skits.
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Burt Bacharach in Shangri-La
Title: Burt Bacharach in Shangri-La
Character: Self
Released: January 26, 1976
Type: Movie
A musical special promoting the then-upcoming release of the 1973 musical version of "Lost Horizon".
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Title: Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Character: Self
Released: January 12, 1975
Type: TV
A talk show presented by Michel Drucker
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The Fifth Dimension Special: An Odyssey in the Cosmic Universe of Peter Max
Title: The Fifth Dimension Special: An Odyssey in the Cosmic Universe of Peter Max
Character: Self
Released: May 21, 1970
Type: Movie
Artist Peter Max pulls the strings as the pop group The Fifth Dimension travels through a technicolor land inhabited by wacky people.
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The Woody Allen Special
Title: The Woody Allen Special
Character: Self
Released: September 21, 1969
Type: Movie
A Woody Allen special for CBS, in 1969.
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Title: Night-Club
Character: self
Released: September 13, 1968
Type: TV