Davy DMX | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | David Franklin Reeves Jr. |
| Also known as | Davy D. |
| Born | (1960-10-03)October 3, 1960 (age 64) The Bronx,New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Labels | |
David Franklin Reeves Jr. (known professionally asDavy DMX,Davy D orDavy Dee, and also credited under the nameDavid Reeves) is an American musician,DJ, and producer best known for his work in cooperation withRun-DMC,Kurtis Blow,The Fat Boys, andJam Master Jay. An early associate ofRussell Simmons andLarry Smith, Dave first made his name in the 1980s.
He also toured with Public Enemy as a bassist
Davy DMX was born inThe Bronx borough of New York City on October 3, 1960. When he was ten years old, he moved with his family toHollis, Queens, a largely African-American community notable as the home of such world-class achievers asAndrew Young, the Rev.Al Sharpton,Lani Guinier,Milt Jackson,Run-DMC andDJ Hurricane.
Of his musical education, Dave has said, "I always liked theJackson 5 when I was young, so I got a guitar and taught myself how to play."[1] Eventually, he also taught himself how to play bass, keyboards, and drums. At the dawn of hip-hop in the mid-70s, Dave taught himself how to deejay. He formed a local rap group inHollis named Solo Sounds, which included DJ Hurricane and others. Davy produced songs for Run-DMC,The Fat Boys,Kurtis Blow,Spoonie Gee,Jimmy Spicer, The Afros andThe Fearless Four. In 1979, Dave began touring as the DJ for Kurtis Blow, who was managed byHollis nativeRussell Simmons. The gig with Blow, which Dave performed through 1983, included a handful of dates in September 1980 on a bill withThe Commodores andBob Marley atMadison Square Garden.[2]
In 1982 Dave, playing guitar, joined bassistLarry Smith and drummer Trevor Gale in a band called Orange Krush. Their first single, "Action," featuring vocals byAlyson Williams, was released that same year. A stark, beat-heavy production, "Action" was not a hit but proved very influential. In 1983 its basic rhythm was repurposed as the "Krush Groove" onRun-DMC's "Sucker MC's (Krush Groove 1)," and again on "Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2)" (1984), "Darryl & Joe (Krush-Groove 3)" (1985) and "Together Forever (Krush-Groove 4)" (1985). As of 2022, various parts of "Action" had been sampled at least 70 times, including on recordings byJay-Z,Kanye West,Common,De La Soul,Michael Jackson,LL Cool J,Ol' Dirty Bastard andT-Pain. Orange Krush also provided the music forLovebug Starski's "You've Gotta Believe" in 1983.
Dave debuted as a solo artist late in 1983, cutting "One for the Treble (Fresh)" as Davy DMX for Aaron Fuchs'Tuff City Records. (Having used theOberheim DMX drum machine to make the beats for many of his productions, he chose to call himself Davy DMX when it came time to record under his own name.) Primarily a hip-hop instrumental, "One for the Treble" was reviewed by Eric Schmuckler forThe Village Voice in May 1984, who wrote, "Davy finds unusual sound fragments to scratch against the beat, like heavily processed voices and the soon-to-be-widely-imitated squealing tires which bring the record to a screeching halt."[3] Dave's second single for Tuff City, "The DMX Will Rock" (featuring the rapperSweet Tee), was released in 1985.
Dave's first and only full-length album,Davy's Ride, was released byDef Jam Recordings in 1987. Reviewer Mark Sinker, writing for England'sNew Musical Express, described Davy as "theHitchcock of hip-hop: sex'n'violence plots are all devices to hang unlikely technical tricks on," adding, "[Davy's Ride] is the weirdest, most viciously imaginative LP rap's going to deliver for some time."[4] A month earlier, theNew York Post's Brian Chin declared that the album constituted "more proof that rap is this decade's most accessible pop art."[5]
Dave's work as a session musician, songwriter and producer grew out of his touring gig with Kurtis Blow. He contributed backing vocals to Blow's "Hard Times" in 1981 and played guitar on "Starlife" (1981), "Tough" (1982) and "Daydreamin'" (also '82). Between 1983 and 1985, Dave was the co-writer of several recordings produced by Blow. These include Sweet G's "Games People Play" and two tracks by The Fat Boys: "Jail House Rap" and "Hard Core Reggae."
In 1983, Dave teamed up with Larry Smith and Russell Simmons to write the music for the rapperJimmy Spicer's "Money (Dollar Bill Y'All)." An influential recording, the track had been sampled at least 40 times as of 2022, including in recordings byWu-Tang Clan,Montell Jordan,Mary J. Blige,Kanye West,DJ Quik,Too Short, andMaino. In 1997, the song was covered byCoolio.
Dave's first credit as a producer was on a record bySpoonie Gee, his Tuff City label-mate, in 1983. Titled "The Big Beat," it was followed by "Street Girl" in 1985, another Davy DMX production. It was also in '85 that Dave produced "Transformation" forDr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde. A year later, Dave teamed up withSpyder-D, another native of Hollis, to produce "Don't Make Me Laugh" forSparky D. In '87, Dave wrote the music forStephanie Mills' "Can't Change My Ways," a recording he co-produced with Russell Simmons.
Dave's most notable credit as a producer is for Run-DMC'sTougher Than Leather (1988), the platinum-level follow-up to Run-DMC's triple-platinumRaising Hell. He also co-wrote "Run's House", "Beats to the Rhyme", "Radio Station", and "How'd You Do It Dee". The following year Dave co-produced several recordings withJam Master Jay, starting with Run-DMC's "Ghostbusters/Pause" in 1989, and continuing with "Feel It" for The Afros in 1990.
In 1989, he helped produceRasta Man forVanilla Ice. In 1992 Dave played bass onPublic Enemy's "Hazy Shade of Criminal." In 1994, he co-produced "Back Up Off Me," the title track from the album byDoctor Dré &Ed Lover.
Since 2010 Davy has been touring with Public Enemy as their lead bass player. This gig has included at least two stints onLL Cool J's Kings of the Mic Tour alongsideDe La Soul andIce Cube.[6]
