Gail Davies

The daughter of country singer Tex Dickerson, Gail Davies (born Patricia Gail Dickerson) is one of country music's most influential female artists. One of the first women to produce her own records, Davies was a major inspiration to such country music performers as Kathy Mattea, Suzy Bogguss, and Pam Tillis. In addition to composing and recording such country hits as "Grandma's Song" and "Someone Is Looking for Someone Like You," Davies has written hit tunes for the Whites, Jann Browne, and Wild Rose. Her songs have been covered by Susan McCann, Mari Nagatomi, George Hamilton IV, and Nana Mouskori. Born in Broken Bow, a small town in Oklahoma's McCurtain county, Davies grew up in Washington state, where she moved after her mother remarried. Graduating from high school, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she met and married a jazz musician. Although she briefly flirted with jazz, she returned to country music following her divorce. A session singer for A&M, Davies recorded with Neil Young, Hoyt Axton, and Tom Pacheco. Befriended by Joni Mitchell, she was taught the art of record producing by Mitchell's engineer, Henry Lewy. Although she was invited to tour Europe with Frank Zappa's band, Davies chose to work with witty country singer Roger Miller instead. Inspired by her older brother, Ron Davies, whose song, "It Ain't Easy," was covered by David Bowie and Three Dog Night, Davies bought a guitar and began writing songs. Signed by EMI Publishing, she moved to Nashville to write songs. One of her first efforts, "Bucket to the South," became a hit for Ava Barber and was later recorded by Lynn Anderson and Mitzi Gaynor. Determined to stake her claim as a performer, Davies signed with CBS/Lifesong in 1978. Her self-titled debut album included two hit singles. "No Love Here...