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In this broadcast, a celebration of the life of Betty Mabry Davis. Betty was a fashion designer, Wilhelmina model, and club hostess who met people like Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, and Andy Warhol. She was also a songwriter. In the late 60s, she met Miles Davis. They dated, married, and divorced. She became Betty Davis and her influence on Miles was enormous, pushing him toward electric guitars, funk grooves, and flashy clothes. Similarly, Miles encouraged Betty to record her songs, producing her demos for Columbia Records with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter from his band and Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox from Hendrix’s band, as well as electric guitarist John McLaughlin, who went on to record on Miles’s Bitches Brew and On the Corner, which may not have been made if not for Betty’s influence. Betty died on February 9 at age 77. The broadcast will feature selections from the Columbia demos, as well as from three of Betty’s four records: Betty Davis (1973, Just Sunshine Records); Nasty Gal (1975, Island Records); and Is It Love or Desire? (1976, Light in the Attic Records).

After the local news at noon, “Overlooked” is a show focusing on overlooked and under-heard jazz, improvisational, and other fringe music, from early roots to contemporary experiments, a mix of familiar to rare, classic to weird. Live from the shadow of Overlook Mountain in Ulster County.

Host Rob Saffer is the former Executive Director and Producer of the Creative Music Foundation.

Overlooked Playlist Archive