Lubbock, Texas singer, songwriter Mac Davis died September 29, 2020, after becoming critically ill after heart surgery. After high school, Mac moved to Atlanta and formed a rock band called the Zots. It wasn’t long before he got his start a songwriter in Nancy Sinatra’s company, Boots Enterprises. He would play on many of her recordings and she even worked him into her stage shows.
Starting in 1968, he wrote A Little Less Conversation, Memories, In The Ghetto, and Don’t Cry Daddy all recorded by Elvis Presley. Bobby Goldsboro recorded some of Mac’s songs including Watching Scotty Grow. His song I Believe in Music was recorded by many, including Perry Como, Helen Reddy, and himself, before becoming a hit for the band Gallery in 1972. He had a country and pop music success singing his songs like Stop and Smell the Roses, One Hell of a Woman, and Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me.
In 1974 he won the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year award. He had his own variety television show on NBS from 1974-1976 called The Mac Davis Show. He also acted on film, TV and even played Will Rogers in the Broadway production of The Will Rogers Follies.
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J Womack here. I too grew up in Decatur, and Mac played at the Mansion in Avondale, Ga., on College Avenue, and my girl and I went to see Mac and the Zots. Just looking through your photos, I noticed a photo of all five members in white shirts, and in this one, the fourth member from the left in the pic looks like a friend, Wayne Bradford, of Decatur, Class of ’60 at DHS. Wayne wrote too, played guitar, recorded, and a number of his songs went on the road with Vern Gosdin and the notable female singer Emmy Lou Harris, as she continues to appear on all country shows. Main question: was Wayne Bradford figured into any of Mac Davis’s music, songs, or shows ? Or a member of the Zots at any time ? Thanks for all your info on Mac and the many recording artists of my time. P.S. Famous guitarist
Chet Atkins’ nephew Jimmy Atkins of Decatur, also played like Chet in our area.