Blues Queen Thornetta Davis Laments In Latest Video… “Am I Just A Shadow”

After entering a local talent contest at the age of 15, Detroit born Thornetta Davis went on to join a local group Jas which disbanded in 1983 and then she, and another former member of Jas, and two of her high school friends formed Chanteuse, a vocal group covering old R&B hits. She was recruited as a backing vocalist by Lamonte Zodiac & the Love Signs, a local soul group based outfit, who later became the Chisel Brothers. By 1991, Davis had moved on to back up singing for Big Chief, who recorded a couple of albums for the Sub Pop label. In 1992, Davis had appeared at the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival, and sang on stage with Bonnie Raitt and Kate Webster. 

Following the group Big Chief disbanding, Davis was signed to a solo recording contract with the bands same label, making Davis the first Black artist signed to Sub Pop, a label initially known for its Grunge releases.

Davis’ initial release for the label was an EP,  ‘Shout Out To The Dustbuffer,’  (1995), and the following year she released her first solo album, ‘Sunday Morning Music’,’  a song from her “Sunday Morning Music” album, “Cry”, was used in the “Isabella’ episode of the HBO television drama, ‘The Sopranos.’  

Between 1997 and 2003, Davis was a backing vocalist for Kid Rock, appearing on his albums, ‘Devil Without A Cause’ (1998) and Kid Rock (2003), and she also sang on Kid Rock’s single, ‘Wasting Time.’ In 2000, Davis performed backing vocals with Kid Rock when he opened the VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards at Madison Square Garden.  Davis performed on the soundtrack for the 2001 film, Osmosis Jones. In addition, her voice was used on the television program, Xena, Warrior Princess. Davis has also guested on Alberta Adams’ ‘ 2008 album, Detroit is My Home.

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Along the way, Davis was voted Outstanding Blues Artist in 2004 and 2006, and Outstanding Blues/R&B Vocalist in 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2014.  In 2018, she won the following Detroit Music Awards: Outstanding Blues Artist/Group; Outstanding Blues Songwriter; Outstanding Blues Vocalist; Outstanding Video/Limited Budget for “I Believe (Everything Gonna Be Alright)”; Outstanding Urban Songwriter; and Outstanding Urban Vocalist.

In 2014, Davis performed at the Concert of Colors in Detroit with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, she was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the Best Emerging Artist Album category, for her album, Honest Woman.

Miss Davis has received numerous awards and critical acclaim, both nationally and internationally all along her journey and still feels her journey has just begun.

Meet Thornetta Davis, a true Queen gifted with both, a powerful presense and voice in this video for “Am I Just A Shadow,” a gem almost lost to all but her devoted fans and followers because it was released in the midst of the pandemic. We have included another gem from the Queen below entitled “I Believe (Everything Gonna Be Alright). Let us know how you feel about Miss Davis and her video releases by commenting in the comment box below.