Geater Davis born 29 January 1946

Vernon "Geater" Davis (January 29, 1946 – September 29, 1984) was an American soul singer and songwriter. He has been described as "one of the South's great lost soul singers, an impassioned stylist whose voice was a combination of sweetness and sandpaper grit."

Comparable to the blues-drenched likes of Johnnie Taylor or, especially, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Davis wound up even more of a cult artist than deep soul peers like James Carr or O.V. Wright, having recorded mostly for small local labels during his prime. 

Davis was born in Kountze, Texas, the youngest of five children born to the late DeWitt and Cornella Davis (1908–1996). In the late 1960s he was heard performing, along with Reuben Bell, by record producer Allen Orange. Orange arranged for them to record in Birmingham, Alabama, and started his own House of Orange label to release their output. Geater's first release, "Sweet Woman's Love", in 1970, reached # 45 on the Billboard R&B chart. 

                                    

His follow-up singles on the House of Orange label, including "I Can Hold My Own" and "Best Of Luck To You", were less commercially successful, but his cover of Jerry Butler & the Impressions' "For Your Precious Love" later became a favorite among British soul collectors. Davis recorded an album, Sweet Woman's Love, which is now considered a classic of the deep soul genre. He often wrote or co-wrote his own material. 

After Orange closed his label in 1972, Davis recorded for the Luna label, and then for John Richbourg's 77 label, where several of his recordings such as "I'm Gonna Change" and "A Whole Lot Of Man" were made at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals. His 1973 single, "Your Heart Is So Cold" reached # 64 on the R&B chart. During his career, Davis was often compared to fellow blues singer, and good friend, Bobby Blue Bland, because of their similar voice and vocal styling, but Davis' vocals were heavier and darker in tone. Also, Davis played guitar in the studio, as well as live, something Bland did not do. However, Davis' records did not generally sell well, despite heavy touring on the blues and chitlin circuits. 

Davis cut sessions for Ace that produced fine tracks like “Nice And Easy” and “There’s Got To Be Some Changes Made” in the mid 70s, and later issued some disco singles on the revitalised House Of Orange label. In 1981 he joined the MT label run by James Bennett in Jackson, Mississippi, who issued several singles and a good LP “Better Days”. Like so much of Bennett’s output some of the tracks were decidedly under-produced but in Listen Right Back For More he got it just right. The song was issued twice and the version with overdubbed horns was to be Davis’ last great release. 

Davis died of a heart attack in Dallas, Texas, in 1984 at the age of 38, leaving behind his wife, Lula Davis; his two daughters Vernecia and Laquita Davis; and stepdaughter Sandra Darby. In 1985, as a tribute to his friend, Bobby Blue Bland re-recorded two of Davis' most popular tracks on his Members Only album: "Sweet Woman's Love", and "I've Just Got To Know". 

(Edited from Wikipedia & AllMusic)