Paul Davis (singer)
A smooth-voiced singer-songwriter whose soft-rock ballad 'I Go Crazy' spent an astonishing 40 weeks on the Billboard charts.
1948–2008 (age 60)·Musical artist·Birthday: April 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Paul Davis possessed one of the most recognizable and warmly reassuring voices in 1970s soft rock. A Mississippi native, he began as a session musician before stepping into the spotlight with a series of meticulously crafted, mid-tempo hits. His sound was a seamless blend of pop, soul, and country, delivered with a gentle, conversational intimacy. His signature song, 1977's "I Go Crazy," became a phenomenon not for a rapid climb up the charts, but for its stubborn, record-setting longevity, clinging to the Billboard Hot 100 for nearly a year. Davis was a craftsman of romantic melancholy, following up with the nostalgic "'65 Love Affair" and the smooth "Cool Night." In the 1980s, he effortlessly transitioned to country music, scoring number-one duets with Marie Osmond and Tanya Tucker. His career was cut short by his sudden death in 2008, but his music endures as the quintessential sound of a certain kind of heartfelt, radio-friendly American pop.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Paul was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Paul Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Paul's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Key Achievements
- His 1977 single "I Go Crazy" spent 40 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, a record for the longest chart run at the time.
- Scored a top 10 pop hit with "'65 Love Affair," which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Achieved two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart as a duet partner on "You're Still New to Me" (with Marie Osmond) and "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love" (with Tanya Tucker and Paul Overstreet).
- Wrote songs recorded by artists like Sammy Kershaw and the Oak Ridge Boys.
Did You Know?
He was a skilled multi-instrumentalist who played guitar, bass, and keyboards on his own recordings.
Before his solo career, he was a member of the band "The Endless Season."
He co-wrote the country standard "Ride 'Em Cowboy" for Paul Overstreet.
He died of a heart attack at age 60 while working on new material in his home studio.
“I just tried to write songs about real people and real feelings.”
