Career
His regular nickname while he was with those groups was "Sting Ray" Davis. He was born in Sumter, South Carolina, and worked with Roger Troutman and Zapp in the early to mid-1980s. His distinctive bass can be heard on "I Can Make You Dance," and "Do Wa Ditty." He was also briefly in a later period line-up of The Temptations, joining after the death of original bass singer Melvin Franklin, and appearing on the 1995 album Foreign Lovers Only.
Davis left the group after being diagnosed with throat cancer.
In later years, he performed with former Temptation Glenn Leonard in Leonard"s group, The Temptations Experience. And in 1998, along with original Parliament-Funkadelic members Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins, Calvin Simon, and "Shady Grady" Thomas, he formed the Original P.
Davis died in New Brunswick, New Jersey on July 5, 2005, of respiratory problems.