American politician and songwriter who appeared in a number of films.Davis was born in the now-nonexistent town of Beech Springs, Louisiana,the son of sharecroppers. He and his ten siblings lived in direpoverty, but Davis paid his way through Louisiana College and LouisianaState University as a street musician. After graduate school, he taughtat Dodd College for Women, supporting himself with a singing job on alocal radio station. He got a chance to record one of his songs when arecord talent scout heard him on a broadcast, and in 1934 his song"Nobody's Darling But Mine" was a hit. A 1931 song, "You Are MySunshine," became a 1939 hit, a standard eventually recorded by a scoreof singing stars fromBing Crosby toAretha Franklin. No longer poor, but unable tolive off his songs, Davis entered politics and was elected police chiefof Shreveport. He continued to record songs and occasionally acted inmovies, especially B-Westerns, until in 1943 he decided to run forgovernor of Louisiana. Although Davis's opponent tried to use hissinging background against him, it actually was a great factor inDavis's election to the post. Even after he was elected governor, hecontinued to record songs and played himself in a movie of his life,Louisiana (1947). During the 1950s, he made records and concert appearances,then ran again for governor again in the 1960s. He was elected againand reluctantly presided over Louisiana's difficult transition intogreater racial equality. After this second term, Davis spent the restof his career singing, recording over fifty albums. He died at 101,enormously popular in his home state and likely to be remembered lessas a politician or actor than as the composer of "You Are My Sunshine,"one of the most familiar American songs of all time.