Davies was born in Ebbw Vale in 1959 and was the son and grandson of steelworkers.

[2] After leaving school at the age of 16, Davies worked in the electrical department at the Ebbw Vale Steelworks for 26 years; he was a senior trade union shop steward for over 15 years and a member of the Nation Industrial Committee for Steel.

[4] Until his defeat in 2010, he was the leader of Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group, a political party that had announced intentions to expand outside his own constituency in the 2007 Assembly elections.

He stated that he would be leaving frontline politics and standing down as Leader of The People's Voice; after these comments the future of the party he led from 2006 became unclear.

In 2017, he was elected as one of three councillors for the Ebbw Vale North Ward on Blaenau Gwent Council.