John Davis (singer)

John Davis
Davis in 2016
Born(1954-08-31)August 31, 1954
Anderson, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedMay 24, 2021(2021-05-24) (aged 66)
Nuremberg, Germany
OccupationSinger

John Davis (August 31, 1954 – May 24, 2021) was an American singer based in Germany. He was one of the real vocalists for Milli Vanilli and The Real Milli Vanilli who, along with Brad Howell, Charles Shaw and backup vocalists Linda Rocco & Jodie Rocco, provided the real vocals for Milli Vanilli.[1][2][3][4]

Early life

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Davis was born on August 31, 1954, in Anderson, South Carolina. Davis lived most of his life in Germany after he was stationed there in the 1970s[5] while serving in the US Army.[6]

Career

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During the 1970s Davis played his music in Army clubs in Germany. He began singing for Milli Vanilli in the 1980s after meeting German music producer Frank Farian. Farian approached Davis to work on a project with him, but did not disclose the details of the project, which were that Davis's voice would be used for other performers to lip-sync. Davis realized only later that his voice was being used by Fabrice Morvan, one of two pretend singers of the duo Milli Vanilli, the other being Rob Pilatus.[6] Morvan and Davis performed together on the project "Face Meets Voice" in later years,[7] and they appeared together on German television in 2015.[5]

Albums

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In 1984 Davis released an electro album called Destination Earth. After it was revealed that Morvan and Pilatus were not the true singers for Milli Vanilli, Farian re-did the album that was already planned for the original duo, renaming the 1991[7] album The Moment of Truth, and the duo, Davis and Brad Howell, the Real Milli Vanilli. The album was the only one the pair made, and it was never released in the US.[8] It made it to Germany's Top 20 albums.[5]

Personal life and death

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Davis had a daughter, Jasmine Davis.[8][9]

Davis died in Nuremberg, Germany,[6] from COVID-19 on May 24, 2021, at the age of 66.[2]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Davis.

References

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  1. ^ Todisco, Eric (May 27, 2021). "John Davis, Real Voice Behind Milli Vanilli, Dead of COVID at 66: 'He Gave So Much to the World'". People.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  2. ^ a b John Davis, Real Milli Vanilli Singer, Dies of COVID-19 at 66 Archived May 29, 2021, at archive.today, Variety.com
  3. ^ Echte Milli Vanilli-zanger overlijdt aan coronavirus Archived June 6, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Ad.nl
  4. ^ Echte Milli Vanilli-zanger John Davis (66) overleden aan gevolgen coronavirus, Nu.nl
  5. ^ a b c "John Davis, unseen singer behind Milli Vanilli, dies at 66 of covid-19". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Jiménez, Jesus (May 29, 2021). "John Davis, a Voice Behind Milli Vanilli, Dies at 66". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "John Davis: True Milli Vanilli singer dies from Covid aged 66". BBC News. May 26, 2021. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Kreps, Daniel (May 27, 2021). "John Davis, Real Milli Vanilli Singer, Dead at 66". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Real Milli Vanilli Singer John Davis Dead At Age 66". NPR.org. Retrieved July 5, 2021.


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