He was a singer-songwriter and actor born Morris Mac Davis in Lubbock, Texas who played in a rock and roll band in Atlanta, Georgia, in his youth.
He wrote songs in the ’60s and ’70s for Elvis Presley, among others, and these included the hits “In the Ghetto”, “Don’t Cry Daddy” and his movie song “A Little Less Conversation”. Hits that he wrote for others included the 10 million-seller “Something’s Burning” which achieved chart success for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, “Watching Scotty Grow” which was a hit for Bobby Goldsboro and “I Believe in Music” which was a hit for Gallery.
He also recorded his own songs and he had hits with “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me” and “It’s Hard to be Humble”.
The Mac Davis Show was a popular programme on the TV in the 1970s and following that he appeared films including North Dallas Forty and The Sting II. Occasionally credited as Scott Davis, he was listed as one of twelve “Promising New Actors of 1979” by Screen World magazine. He carried on his screen appearances in many TV series such as The Client and Rodney. He was also the voice of various characters in the animated series King of the Hilland has played Will Rogers on Broadway.
The Academy of Country Music named him “1974 Entertainer of the Year” and he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006 and also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He died of complications from heart surgery in Nashville, Tennessee in September 2020 when he was 78 years old.
Cathy Barnes Recordings
Something’s Burning (Mac Davis)
Nancy Sinatra Recordings
Kids (Scott Davis)
Sources: