b. Carl Henry Davis Snr. a.k.a. Carl Adams, 19th September 1934, Chicago, U.S.A.
d. 9th August 2012, Summerville, South Carolina, U.S.A.
Carl Davis was a hugely influential, Chicago based, record producer.
He was the architect of what later became known as 'The Chicago Sound'.
During the Sixties and Seventies he collaborated with many of the Windy City's best known artists, including Gene Chandler ('Duke Of Earl'), Major Lance ('Monkey Time'), Jackie Wilson ('(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher'), The Chi-Lites ('Oh Girl'), Barbara Acklin ('Love Makes a Woman') and Tyrone Davis ('Turn Back the Hands of Time').
Born in Chicago, Carl attended the Englewood High School, after which he began working as a local disc jockey, working with Al Benson on the local station WGES.
He later worked at a record distributor, working additionally at the Nat imprint with the group the Dukays, who scored locally with the song 'Nite Owl', a song he also produced, also working with the all female group, The Starlets.
Greater success followed with the song 'Duke Of Earl', which featured the Dukays lead vocalist, Gene Chandler.
Carl produced the song for the Vee-Jay imprint.
Carl then relocated to the Columbia subsidiary OKeh, where he worked with the singers Billy Butler and the late Walter Jackson.
In the early 1960s Carl recorded with the boxer, Muhammed Ali, then called Cassius Clay, singing the Ben E. King hit 'Stand By Me' in a New York studio with Sam Cooke.
Sam helped Clay on the vocals.
Columbia Records never offically released the track.
He continued to collaborate with Gene Chandler and the group the Artistics, whilst producing tracks on several artists including the ex Motown singer, Mary Wells.
By the end of the Sixties, Carl had moved on to the Brunswick imprint.
There he produced Jackie Wilson's hit '(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher' and Barbara Acklin's 'Love Makes a Woman'.
He began a long association with The Chi-Lites at this time.Carl later formed the Dakar label, which realised the Tyrone Davis hit 'Can I Change My Mind' and 'Turn Back the Hands of Time'.
When the Dakar label finished in 1976, Carl set up Chi Sound Records, releasing sides on Walter Jackson ('Welcome Home') and charting in 1978 with Gene Chandler 's dancer 'Get Down'.
20th Century Records ended their distribution arrangements with Ch-Sound in 1981, with Carl finalising the labels affairs shortly afterwards.
He later relocated, with his wife Dedra Davis, from Chicago to South Carolina in 2009.
After a resurgence of the label, Carl continued running the company until 2011.
Carl Davis died from Pulmonary Fibrosis at the age of 77 in his home in Summerville, South Carolina, on the morning of the 9th of August 2012.
He is survived by children Pamela Davis, Carl H. Davis II, Trey Davis, Julio Davis, Kelli Morris, Carleen Davis and Jaime Davis, as well as one brother, George Davis, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.
