Melvin Davis - Help with medical bills

I came across a post on Rare Soul Talk facebook page yesterday highlighting a GoFundMe page for 60s Detroit soul artist Melvin Davis. Davis was diagnosed with Leukaemia before the pandemic and then got infected with two bouts of Covid along with pneumonia. The States being the states, there is no NHS so he needs $25k for pay his medical bills, which is not easy for anyone, never mind an 80 year old, so please help if you can.

Davis says "It’s been a very challenging past 18 or 19 months for me. I’ve lost about 60 or 70 pounds and am feeling very weak. Any assistance from my music family is more than appreciated. I just don’t have the words to tell you how appreciative I am of all my supporters." 

Melvin is a songwriter, singer, drummer, producer, and bandleader who worked with Motown in the  60s as a staff drummer performing with Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Temptations, Martha Reeves, The Supremes and others. He has become a bit of a 'legend' in Northern Soul circles over the years for his songs and recordings. He has written songs played on the scene by artists such as Ann Perry, Edward Hamilton, Johnnie Mae Matthews, Steve Mancha, J.J. Barnes, E.J. & The Echoes, The Turbines, Darrel Banks and Johnnie Taylor. 

In 2018 he recorded "Politicians in My Eyes" with Detroit proto-punk band Death and the crowdfunding campaign was started by fellow musician Drew Schultz, who worked with him on the recording.

Melvin Lincoln Davis was born on 29 Aug 1942 in Georgia but moved to Detroit with his family when he was 3. He was inspired by hearing Little Richard perform at a juke joint on one of his regular visits to his grandparent's farm in Georgia and also by gospel in his family’s Baptist church that brought in groups like the Soul Stirrers which featured Sam Cooke, and Nashville radio station WLAC radio which transmitted the latest R&B hits.

When 17 he joined the Navy where, after having near drowning experience in swimming lessons opted out and instead, learned to play the piano. Upon discharge he set about writing and recoding his first song "I Don’t Want You" / "About Love" (which has a garage come R&B sound) and was released  by the Jack Pot label in 1961. He was assisted on the recording by Joe Peal, a guitar player he grew up with. Peal had connections in Detroit’s music scene and began introducing Davis to various names, including Richard 'Popcorn' Wylie of Popcorn and the Mohawks. Wylie was a well-connected piano player and producer who, in turn, shared his expertise and knowledge of the music industry.

After the single on Jack Pot his next single was "I Won’t Be Your Fool" / "Playboy" on Fortune where he was also a member of The Nite Sounds who released three singles for the label in 1962-63. He released another six singles in the 60s on Ke Ke, Wheel City, Groovesville, two on Mala and one on Golden State.

In the early 70s he was a member of 100 Proof (Aged In Soul) / The 8th Day (who's members included  Clyde Wilson aka Steve Mancha) who recorded for Holland, Dozier, Holland's new Invictus label were he also released two solo singles ("I'm Worried" / "Just As Long" and "You Made Me Over" / "I'm Worried"). 100 Proof (Aged In Soul) had a hit with "Somebody's Been Sleeping in My Bed" and radio stations began playing another song by them "She's Not Just Another Woman". HDH didn't want the new song hindering the success of the previous single so released it as The 8th Day, so they were in fact the same group. They hit with a follow up single "You've Got to Crawl (Before You Walk)" so HDH formed a new group using the name. 

Davis set up his own label Rock Mill Record in 1976 where he released further singles through the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s.  All but two were his own singles, but there was one by a group called Charisma which was formed out of former members of The Contours and one by Liz Taylor.

In 2010 Davis released a compilation of many of his 60s songs titled "The Detroit Soul Ambassador" which includes "I Must Love You", "Find A Quiet Place", "Chains Of Love" (recorded by J.J. Barnes on Groovesville), "Still In My Heart" and "I Need My Baby" amongst several others (included below).

Here's a clip of him from April 2018 after receiving a lifetime achievement award and performing his song "I Must Love You" released on Don Davis' Groovesville label in 1966.

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