It may be hard to believe but the glam rocker  David Bowie, the folk singer Joan Baez and the pop band Three Dog Night all share something in common:  They all recorded music  by a Pacific Northwest songwriter who is not nearly  as well known as he should be.  If you know Ron Davies at all, it’s probably from his song “It Ain’t Easy”. It was recorded by David Bowie in 1972 on the Ziggy Stardust album.

Eric Apoe is a Seattle singer-songwriter who knew Ron Davies for more than thirty years.  Eric calls Ron the missing link in Pacific Northwest music history. Ron Davies was born in Louisiana. He came with his family to the Pacific Northwest when Ron was a teenager.  In the early 1960s, at age 17, he played an audition for members of the rock band The Wailers in Bremerton, Washington.  The band was so impressed that they recorded an entire album of Ron’s songs.

Ron Davies’ talent began to catch other ears in the music business.   Joan Baez recorded his songs and said Ron’s talent was on the level of Bob Dylan and John Lennon.  Ron became well known in Nashville songwriting circles.  In Los Angeles he worked on a songwriting team at A and M records that included Karen Carpenter.  But fame wasn’t what drove Ron Davies.  What made him happy was sitting in his living room sharing and teaching songs and learning music from other players.

Ron Davies died in Nashville in 2003.  He was 57 years old. Eric Apoe has produced a new recording of his friend Ron’s music. It’s called “The Mystery of Ron Davies: A Pacific Northwest Tribute” It features more than a dozen Northwest artists performing Ron Davies’ tunes.    Eric Apoe sings on the recording. 

Eric Apoe speaks with KUOW’s Dave Beck.

It may be hard to believe but the glam rocker  David Bowie, the folk singer Joan Baez and the pop band Three Dog Night all share something in common:  They all recorded music  by a Pacific Northwest songwriter who is not nearly  as well known as he should be.  If you know Ron Davies at all, it’s probably from his song “It Ain’t Easy”. It was recorded by David Bowie in 1972 on the Ziggy Stardust album.

Eric Apoe is a Seattle singer-songwriter who knew Ron Davies for more than thirty years.  Eric calls Ron the missing link in Pacific Northwest music history. Ron Davies was born in Louisiana. He came with his family to the Pacific Northwest when Ron was a teenager.  In the early 1960s, at age 17, he played an audition for members of the rock band The Wailers in Bremerton, Washington.  The band was so impressed that they recorded an entire album of Ron’s songs.

Ron Davies’ talent began to catch other ears in the music business.   Joan Baez recorded his songs and said Ron’s talent was on the level of Bob Dylan and John Lennon.  Ron became well known in Nashville songwriting circles.  In Los Angeles he worked on a songwriting team at A and M records that included Karen Carpenter.  But fame wasn’t what drove Ron Davies.  What made him happy was sitting in his living room sharing and teaching songs and learning music from other players.

Ron Davies died in Nashville in 2003.  He was 57 years old. Eric Apoe has produced a new recording of his friend Ron’s music. It’s called “The Mystery of Ron Davies: A Pacific Northwest Tribute” It features more than a dozen Northwest artists performing Ron Davies’ tunes.    Eric Apoe sings on the recording. 

Eric Apoe speaks with KUOW’s Dave Beck.