[4] In 1970, aged 18, Davies left his economics and politics university course to become a roadie[5] for a progressive rock band, Company Caine.
"[9] According to musicologist Ian McFarlane, "Under the direction of astute manager Roger Davies, the band also pioneered the concept of the national rock tour by undertaking arduous, cross-country treks to play in the far-flung corners of the continent.
Later on, Tina invited Davies and Kramer to her performances at the Venetian Room at the famous Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, in May, where "She said 'I want to get out of here and play rock venues'.
[24] Davies used his industry contacts to put together a comeback, advised Turner to drop the cabaret ensemble, and they remodeled the show into a grittier rock'n'roll showcase.
One night saw the attendance of David Bowie and Capitol Records, and it was reviewed as "a hip-shaking, knee-swinging rendition of a rock song, she pauses for a deep, sweeping, bow, delivered with a diva's hauteur".
The related album Private Dancer earned Turner three Grammy Awards in 1985, re-establishing her as one of the world's top rock performers.
At the age of 45, Turner undertook the role of "Aunty Entity" alongside Mel Gibson in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, filmed in the Australian summer in 1984–1985.
[3] Davies was satirically portrayed by Alec Baldwin in a sketch on Saturday Night Live when Turner guested on the program on 22 February 1997.
[3][28] After a successful solo career, on 1 October 2008, Turner returned to the world stage at the age of 69 to celebrate her 50th anniversary in music with 90 live dates.
The tour was captured by director David Mallet at the GelreDome in Arnhem, Netherlands, on 21 March 2009, and released by EMI later that year as Tina Live.
Roger Davies became the manager of Canadian singer-songwriter Dalbello (aka Lisa Dal Bello) after she had released her fourth album, whomanfoursays (1984).
[30] According to Sam Lederman (Ronson's then-manager), "We met with Tina and Roger all day but Mick got tongue-tied, he just couldn't explain what he wanted to do.
Reyne later played the part of Roger Davies in the movie of Tina Turner's life-story, the semi-autobiographical 1993 film What's Love Got To Do With It.
Davies negotiated a record contract with Polydor for White[37] and co-produced three albums: 1991's Closer to the Truth, 1993's The Path of a Decent Groove, and 1995's Lake Placid Blues.
White is also credited on Joe Cocker's 1996 album Organic for the songs "Heart Full of Rain" and "High Lonesome Blue".
[38] As Tina Turner had moved to Europe and was wanting to slow down, Davies agreed to manage Janet Jackson,[39] confident he could take her to a new level.
Four of those titles — "Miss You Much," "Escapade," "Black Cat" and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" — hit number one, while "Rhythm Nation" and "Come Back to Me" reached the runner-up rank".
Janet embarked on The Velvet Rope Tour, selling out stadiums across North America, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
The concert was filmed for an HBO broadcast and received over 15 million viewers, surpassing the ratings of the four major networks and winning an Emmy for outstanding technical direction/camera work.
[46] On 3 June 2002, Joe Cocker performed at the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II and later was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Buckingham Palace in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list, and he subsequently was given the keys to his hometown, the City of Sheffield.
[54] In May 2011, the band's second compilation album was released, The Ultimate Collection, on Sony Music, and Sade toured for the first time in 11 years.
The tour was captured on film by director Sophie Muller and released on Sony as Bring Me Home: Live 2011;[56] Roger Davies is credited as a producer.
Davies began managing Mike Pickering’s British dance music band M People in 1997, with the recording of their fourth and final non-compilation album, Fresco,[59] charting in September 1997 in the UK at No.
The tour of the same name smashed attendance records in Australia and Europe for a solo female artist, playing 138 shows and grossing $42 million.
Within the album credits, Davies is mentioned again: "Roger, when I think of you, I automatically feel better, safer, and smarter, and full of love and gratitude.
Pink's eighth studio album, Hurts 2B Human, was released in April 2019, and the back page of the artwork booklet lists many thank-you notes, including "Roger Davies, I love you with all my heart".
On the release date, Pink performed the song alongside a medley of her biggest hits at the BRIT Awards, including "Try", "Just Give Me a Reason" and "What About Us".
He's just helping me through all of this because he manages people like Sade, Cher, Tina Turner and Joe Cocker – legends who've been touring forever.
[70] CEO of APRA/AMCOS, Brett Cottle, also said: Roger Davies' gift to the artists he represents is his incomparable drive, passion and determined belief in their talent.
[71] Roger Davies, RDWM nominated in category of: Personal Manager of the Year – Recognizing outstanding achievement in representation for a touring artist.