( T - MONSTER )

Tony was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ and began his quest as a drummer from birth, according to his mother, as he arrived flailing his arms in perfect rhythm.  As Tony grew he developed an insatiable desire to beat on anything that made a sound similar to drums.  He would listen to the radio or Hi-Fi and play along with songs using books, pots & pans, the arms of chairs, tables, empty cans and buckets.  Needless to say this drove his mother crazy as she had to replace pots & pans and buckets after Tony had made holes in them.

 At seven Tony’s parents bought him a toy set of drums from Woolworth Department Store and Tony, the eldest of six boys, played the drums everyday after school for two weeks before one of his brothers busted the thin paper heads and of course no one confessed to doing it. At eight or nine Tony’s uncle & aunt, fifties recording artists Gene & Eunice, that had hits: Poco Loco, Go on Koko Mo and This is my Story, brought him a pair of bongos that Tony played from the time he awakened till bedtime everyday until he wore the heads off. In elementary and middle school, Tony had watched the school band perform at assemblies, graduations and other special events and one day Tony approached the music teacher and asked if he could join the band and the teacher, in a rude voice, told Tony “we’re not taking beginners” and turned and walked away!  Tony was crushed but determined to show everyone he was no beginner.

In his freshman year at Phoenix Union High, Tony enrolled in the beginning music class and after the first semester the music teacher was so impressed that he elevated Tony to intermediate orchestra and from Tony’s sophomore year through graduation he was a member of the concert and marching bands.  The music teacher wanted to help Tony get a music scholarship for college but Tony wasn’t sure if he wanted to play football or baseball so he didn’t pursue the music scholarship.  Speaking of baseball, Tony’s brother was the late L.A. Dodger’s centerfielder Willie Davis a.k.a 3-Dog because he was considered one of the fastest men in baseball.

 On Tony’s fifteenth birthday his parents surprised him with a 5 pc Ludwig pink champagne sparkle drum set and this time, to avoid damage by his brother’s destruction, he either stored the drums in his parents’ room or at his grandparents up the street. A few months after getting his drums, Tony put together is first band called “Anthony and the Unforgettables” and soon the neighborhood and surrounding area was buzzing about them. At sixteen a neighbor contacted Tony to play for his wife’s birthday party making this Tony’s first paying gig.  Tony and his band competed in battle of the bands contests at school and he was hired to play for several after football and basketball game dances and other events.  By the time Tony was a senior he was performing in night clubs throughout the Metropolitan Phoenix and surrounding areas. 

Because he was underage, his mother or uncle or another adult would accompany him at his nightclub performances. Just before the summer of 1966 a local promoter, named Duffy, contacted Tony to be the backup band for a female vocal group called “Patti and the Petites” and play a gig in Las Vegas.  Patti was a longtime friend and dynamic vocalist so it was an easy match and the Las Vegas gig was very successful.  They group was offered an extended contract but Tony declined so that he could attend college.  Patti was approached by a songwriter and producer and decided to stay in Vegas. Tony was accepted and attended Arizona State University where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in music education.  Although Tony did not have the early start with music lessons, like the other percussion students, he held is own and became a star in the marching, concert orchestra and ROTC bands.

 Throughout college Tony continued to perform at various night clubs and private events.  Duffy became the manager of the band and booked them as the house band for the Riverside Ballroom, one of the premier concert halls in Phoenix.  The band opened for: Joe Tex, Jackie Wilson, The Whispers, Rudy Ray Moore, Richard and Willie, Ted Taylor and Jimmy Lynch. They also backed The Malibu’s, out of the Bay area, and Jean Knight of “Mr. Big Stuff” fame. In the summer of 1969, Tony was approached by members of Dyke and the Blazers, the group that originally recorded “Funky Broadway”, to go on tour with them.  Dyke, who’s real name is Arlester Christian, later sold the song to Wilson Picket and it became an even larger hit.  The tour began at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the Meters as opening act, and next the band flew to Boston where they followed Labelle at the famed Sugar Shack. 

Then onto the Apollo Theatre, in New York, the Capitol Theatre, in Chicago, the Howard Theatre, in Washington D.C. and they also appeared on hit TV shows Shindig and Soul Train before returning to a sold out crowd at a major Phoenix concert hall.  The tour featured artists: Joe Simon, The Intruders, The Originals, The Delfonics, The Stylistics, Jackie Wilson, Jerry Butler’s brother Billy Butler and others. After the tour, Tony and the Blazers worked around the Phoenix area for couple of months awaiting word of the next tour and before that could happen Dyke was fatally wounded in an altercation in an area known as Buckeye Road.  Tony and the band decided to change their name to the “Mod Squad” and arrange their own tour starting at the Haunted House in Hollywood.  When they received the contract, they were told that there was already a band called the Mod Squad so the band brainstormed and decided to change the name to “The ODD Squad”.  The bands tour took them throughout Arizona, California, Colorado (with several long stays at The Shapes Club in Denver), New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Signing Contract With Liberty Records

 The band signed a recording contract with Liberty/United Artist on their Minit Label, and released a single entitled “Soul Power” and shortly after its release, James Brown, released a song titled Soul Power and minimized The ODD Squad’s record the airplay.  The ODD Squad performed concerts with: James & Bobby Purify, Maceo & the Kingsmen, Candi Staton, Rufus Thomas, Bobby Blue Bland, Clarence Carter, Chuck Willis, Harmonica Fats, Peg Leg Bates, Jimmy Lynch, and many others. After touring for a couple of years, three members of the band decided to quit.  Tony and the remaining members decided to keep the name and replace the members that left and continued to tour.  Tony added Patti Williams to the band.  While on tour Tony & Patti began a romance that evenly led to them getting married.  Tony & Patti continued to perform throughout Arizona, California and Nevada and at one point found it difficult to find and keep good musicians in the band.  They were contacted by a group in Tucson, AZ called The Haze Express to join their band.  So Tony & Patti moved to Tucson joined the band and toured throughout Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.  After a year, Tony & Patti left The Haze Express and moved back to Phoenix to form another band and became the house band at the popular Elks Lodge. 

While performing the Elks, a promoter approached Tony & Patti to perform at the newly constructed Phoenix Convention Center as the co-opening act with a popular San Diego based band called Mr. Clean and the Clean Machine for The Dells and Gladys Knight and the Pips.  Mr. Clean was so impressed he asked Tony and Patti to join the Clean Machine and they did setting out on another tour. 

 Tony & Patti left The Clean Machine for the bright lights of Hollywood where they became an instant success performing in all the popular night clubs, hotel lounges and theme parks.  While in Los Angeles, Tony did a recording session with Ike and Tina Turner. Ike was very impressed and asked Tony if he would join his band and perform with them at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Tony had to decline the offer due to previous contractual commitments. 

Tony went on to form a band called “Tony Davis and Sunrise” and became highly sought after to be the backup band at several clubs for “Celebrity Awards & Talent Nights” in addition to performing with Patti at numerous venues around the city.  Tony and his band accompanied artist such as: Lou Rawls, Jimmy McGriff, Eddie Harris, Edwin Star, Chuck Jackson, Cuba Gooding, Martha Reeves, Mable King, Leon Heywood, Linda Hopkins and Motown bassist and original “Funk Brother” James Jamerson. 

 One of Tony’s career highlights came when Tony got James Jamerson to play a gig with him.  After the gig Mr. Jamerson suggested that Tony contact his son James Jamerson, Jr and Tony did and was able to do several gigs with junior before he and guitarist David Williams joined to pursue their own record deal.

 Tony has provided gigs for many great and sought after musicians such as: keyboardist, Wayne Lindsey (currently seen on American Idol), bassist/songwriter/bandleader Ricky Minor (heading the American Idol band), keyboardist/vocalist Rene Moore (of Rene & Angela

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