Skeeter Davis

Skeeter Davis attracted scant critical notice, yet she turned out some of the most approachable country material that crossed over during the 1950s and 1960s, at times brushing against rock & roll. Born Mary Penick, she assumed the Davis surname after pairing with Betty Jack Davis to form the duo the Davis Sisters. Their 1953 release “I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know” scored a major country success, while its B-side, the striking “Rock-a-Bye Boogie,” anticipated rockabilly. A fatal car crash that same year abruptly halted the act, killing Betty Jack and seriously injuring Skeeter. Although Skeeter attempted to keep the Davis Sisters alive alongside Betty Jack’s sister, she soon shifted to solo work.

Early in the 1960s she followed Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline to become one of the first female country artists to post substantial crossover sales, though her pop run proved brief. The tearful ballad “The End of the World” nevertheless exploded, reaching number two in 1963. “I Can’t Stay Mad at You,” a Top Ten hit the same year, leaned outright into rock & roll; written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, it delivered an authentic Brill Building girl-group classic. Goffin and King supplied another similar hit with “Let Me Get Close to You,” yet such experiments remained exceptions. More often she delivered sentimental country songs fitted with pop hooks that broadened their appeal, among them “I Will.”

After the early 1960s Davis turned her focus to the country market, though she never felt entirely at ease restricting herself to Nashville circles. In 1967 she issued a Buddy Holly tribute album when the singer commanded little attention from either country or rock listeners. She still honored country customs, appearing on the Grand Ole Opry and recording duets with Bobby Bare, Porter Wagoner, and George Hamilton IV. The 1980s brought a modest return to rock audiences after an album with NRBQ, and she married the band’s bassist Joey Spampinato. Davis died September 19, 2004 following a prolonged fight with cancer.