Paul Davis had already built a remarkable career as a singer and songwriter when a terrifying encounter outside a Nashville hotel nearly ended his life.
On July 29, 1986, the country hitmaker was leaving a hotel on Music Row with a female companion when an unidentified man approached them and demanded Davis' wallet. Davis was shot once in the abdomen during the attempted robbery and rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he underwent surgery.
Davis, then 38, was hospitalized in critical condition following the shooting, according to contemporary reports. A Billboard report published shortly afterward said he was later listed in good condition at Vanderbilt.
The incident came at an especially significant point in Davis' career.
Though he was best known for pop and adult-contemporary hits including "I Go Crazy," "Cool Night" and "'65 Love Affair," Davis had moved to Nashville in 1984 and was establishing himself as an important songwriter in country music.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame notes that he wrote relatively few songs each year, but an unusually high percentage became successful.
Among his biggest Nashville successes was "Bop," which Davis co-wrote with Jennifer Kimball. Dan Seals' recording became a major country hit and earned the 1986 Country Music Association Award for Single of the Year, while Davis was recognized as the song's co-writer.
Davis had also written "Meet Me in Montana," which became a No. 1 country hit for Seals and Marie Osmond in 1985.
And the shooting happened just as another song Davis had written was beginning its journey up the country charts.
"You're Still New to Me," written by Davis and Paul Overstreet and recorded by Osmond, 66, with Davis, was released in July 1986. The romantic duet eventually reached No. 1 on the Billboard country chart, giving Davis another major career milestone.
After surviving the shooting, Davis' career in country music continued.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame says Davis signed another recording contract after the incident, although he became frustrated with being pigeonholed as a country artist.
He ultimately never released another album.
The shooting became part of a larger conversation about crime around Nashville's Music Row. A contemporary 1986 trade publication noted that Davis himself later expressed appreciation for coverage of crime in the area after recovering from the gunshot wounds.
Davis eventually stepped away from the spotlight, but his influence as a songwriter continued. His songs were recorded by artists including Osmond, Tanya Tucker and Seals, and his compositions remained an important part of the country music story of the 1980s.
Davis died in 2008 at age 60, a day after his birthday, after suffering a heart attack.
RELATED: The Gift Elvis Presley Gave to a 5-Year-Old Fan in 1974 Was Auctioned 15 Years Later
Hence then, the article about 1986 country hitmaker paul davis was shot outside a nashville hotel and survived was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 1986 Country Hitmaker Paul Davis Was Shot Outside a Nashville Hotel and Survived )
Also on site :
- FIFA’s plan to raise billions from investors is sparking a backlash—one insider says Europe is angry because it could change soccer’s balance of power
- Doc Talk Podcast: Director Sara Dosa On Her Oscar Contender ‘Time And Water’, Elegy For Iceland’s Disappearing Ice
- Monroe County committees vote to accept $160,000 Operation Stonegarden border security grant despite opposition