Biography
Eddie Davis emerged as a pivotal producer and proprietor of the Faro, Linda, Rampart, Valhalla, Prospect, Boomerang, and Gordo imprints amid the East Los Angeles rock milieu of the 1960s and early 1970s. National chart impact remained modest, yet his releases often resonated strongly on a local level, especially inside the Mexican-American community. He regularly teamed with Mexican-American performers, foremost among them the Premiers behind “Farmer John,” whose music wove together rock, R&B, doo wop, British Invasion, and Latin strains. That vibrant scene has still not earned the historical scrutiny it warrants, leaving Davis—one of its central architects—largely overlooked despite his own non-Mexican-American origins.
Operating a restaurant at the time, Davis first ventured into recording with the duet “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” pairing himself with actress Connie Stevens. When the single failed, he abandoned any singing ambitions and shifted to production and label ownership by founding Faro Records in 1958. Its debut outing featured actor Kenny Miller, and throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s the label issued an assortment of rock & roll, teen-idol, and vocal-group sides, among them discs by the Atlantics (which included a young Barry White) and Larry Tamblyn (soon to join the Standells). A sharper focus developed once Davis began concentrating on Mexican-American singers and groups from East Los Angeles, the heart of the city’s Mexican-American population—an evolution shaped in large part by his partnership with independent A&R man Billy Cardenas.
Mid-decade found Davis producing and releasing material by several Mexican-American East L.A. bands, including the Romancers, Cannibal & the Headhunters, the Blendells, and the Premiers. “Farmer John” climbed into the Top 20, “Land of a Thousand Dances” reached the Top 30, and “La La La La La La” peaked at number 62. He imagined assembling something akin to a Chicano Motown from his roster, yet sustained national traction proved elusive beyond these isolated successes, even while regional popularity held firm. More enduring than the chart numbers were the recordings themselves, notable for their distinctive fusion of rock, soul, and Latin influences. Davis’s labels did not entirely exclude non-Mexican-American artists, capturing soul sides by black performers such as the Soul-jers and Ron Holden.
The Davis-Cardenas partnership dissolved in 1966, though Davis kept working with Mexican-American talent as Latin and jazz textures grew more pronounced. He released a solo single by Willie G, lead singer of Thee Midniters—the premier Mexican-American band of 1960s L.A. and the only major one never to record for Davis. The Village Callers’ rock treatment of “Evil Ways” fared well in Los Angeles and San Francisco and, according to Davis, helped steer Santana toward their own celebrated rendition. One G Plus 3’s “Poquito Soul” followed the New York Latin-soul pattern known as boogaloo and touched the bottom of the national charts in 1969. In 1970 El Chicano’s cover of Gerald Wilson’s jazz piece “Viva Tirado” entered the national Top 30 and became a massive regional hit throughout Southern California. Such tracks demonstrated that Santana, for all their influence, were not alone in exploring Latin-soul-rock fusion at the close of the decade.
Although El Chicano supplied Davis with a major hit, they also created complications. Originally called the V.I.P.’s, the group resisted any association with “Viva Tirado” until it succeeded, and after completing an album for Davis they parted ways. The experience soured him on the industry, prompting semi-retirement, though he still placed the Eastside Connection on Rampart in the late 1970s, resulting in the disco hit “You’re So Right for Me.” Four volumes drawn from Davis’s original releases now appear in Varese Sarabande’s series The West Coast East Side Sound.
Operating a restaurant at the time, Davis first ventured into recording with the duet “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” pairing himself with actress Connie Stevens. When the single failed, he abandoned any singing ambitions and shifted to production and label ownership by founding Faro Records in 1958. Its debut outing featured actor Kenny Miller, and throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s the label issued an assortment of rock & roll, teen-idol, and vocal-group sides, among them discs by the Atlantics (which included a young Barry White) and Larry Tamblyn (soon to join the Standells). A sharper focus developed once Davis began concentrating on Mexican-American singers and groups from East Los Angeles, the heart of the city’s Mexican-American population—an evolution shaped in large part by his partnership with independent A&R man Billy Cardenas.
Mid-decade found Davis producing and releasing material by several Mexican-American East L.A. bands, including the Romancers, Cannibal & the Headhunters, the Blendells, and the Premiers. “Farmer John” climbed into the Top 20, “Land of a Thousand Dances” reached the Top 30, and “La La La La La La” peaked at number 62. He imagined assembling something akin to a Chicano Motown from his roster, yet sustained national traction proved elusive beyond these isolated successes, even while regional popularity held firm. More enduring than the chart numbers were the recordings themselves, notable for their distinctive fusion of rock, soul, and Latin influences. Davis’s labels did not entirely exclude non-Mexican-American artists, capturing soul sides by black performers such as the Soul-jers and Ron Holden.
The Davis-Cardenas partnership dissolved in 1966, though Davis kept working with Mexican-American talent as Latin and jazz textures grew more pronounced. He released a solo single by Willie G, lead singer of Thee Midniters—the premier Mexican-American band of 1960s L.A. and the only major one never to record for Davis. The Village Callers’ rock treatment of “Evil Ways” fared well in Los Angeles and San Francisco and, according to Davis, helped steer Santana toward their own celebrated rendition. One G Plus 3’s “Poquito Soul” followed the New York Latin-soul pattern known as boogaloo and touched the bottom of the national charts in 1969. In 1970 El Chicano’s cover of Gerald Wilson’s jazz piece “Viva Tirado” entered the national Top 30 and became a massive regional hit throughout Southern California. Such tracks demonstrated that Santana, for all their influence, were not alone in exploring Latin-soul-rock fusion at the close of the decade.
Although El Chicano supplied Davis with a major hit, they also created complications. Originally called the V.I.P.’s, the group resisted any association with “Viva Tirado” until it succeeded, and after completing an album for Davis they parted ways. The experience soured him on the industry, prompting semi-retirement, though he still placed the Eastside Connection on Rampart in the late 1970s, resulting in the disco hit “You’re So Right for Me.” Four volumes drawn from Davis’s original releases now appear in Varese Sarabande’s series The West Coast East Side Sound.
Albums
Singles
