Soul Serenade: Tyrone Davis, “Turn Back The Hands Of Time”

We’ve all been there, right? At one time or another, every one of us wishes we could have a do-over. No one is perfect, and the idea of going back and being able to correct some of the mistakes we’ve made is an appealing one. Time travel is a popular subject, and the plethora of books, movies, and television shows about the subject are the proof of that. But what about music.

I’m not aware of many songs about time travel, though they’re probably out there. Maybe you can come up with some titles in the comments. If there are enough songs, I’ll put together a little time travel playlist on Spotify. Now we’re not talking about songs of regret. We’re talking about the desire to go back in time, or actually making the jump.

Tyrone Fettson was born near Greenville, Mississippi. He moved to Michigan with his father, and landed in Chicago in 1959. There he took a job as a valet and chaffer for Freddie King, and he started singing in local clubs.

Davis recorded, without much success, for several small labels before getting a deal with Dakar Records, a label that had a distribution deal with Atlantic Records, in 1968. At that time he changed his last name to Davis, and it was while he was at Dakar that he had his greatest success. “A Woman Needs To Be Loved” was Davis’ first release for Dakar, but it was the b-side, “Can I Change My Mind,” that became a hit. The record topped the Billboard R&B chart, and crossed-over for a #5 hit on the Hot 100. The best was yet to come however.

In 1970, Davis had the biggest hit of his career with “Turn Back the Hands of Time”. The song was co-written by Jack Daniels and Bonnie Thompson, and the record was produced by Willie Henderson. Among the background singers were hitmakers Barbara Acklin, and Eugend Record of the Chi-Lites. Davis once again topped the R&B chart, and this time made it all the way to #3 on the Hot 100. The record sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.

Davis continued to have R&B hits during the seven years he was with Dakar, reaching the top of the chart again in 1975 with “Turning Point.” He made a move to Columbia Records where he recorded seven albums over the next five years, and had hits with “Give It Up,” “This I Swear,” and “In the Mood.”

In 1982, Davis left Columbia for the small independent label Highrise, where he had another hit with “Are You Serious.” He recorded for several other small labels before signing with Malaco Records in 1996. He recorded several albums for Malaco and continued to be a popular live act until a stroke put an end to his career in 2004. He died the following year.

So here’s your chance. Click on the link above and travel back in time to 1970 with the great Tyrone Davis