Tyrone Fettson was born in Greenville, Mississippi, United States,[4] to Willie Branch and Ora Lee Jones.

Working as a valet/chauffeur for blues singer Freddie King, he started singing in local clubs where he was discovered by record executive/musician Harold Burrage.

[4] The record shot up the listings and spent three weeks on the top of the Billboard R&B chart, while climbing to number 5 in the Hot 100.

[9] When Highrise closed the following year, Davis switched to a tiny Los Angeles label, Ocean Front, which lacked promotional muscle to get behind arguably one of his best performances, "Let Me Be Your Pacifier."

A stroke in September 2004 ended his career and, following complications, he died in a Chicago hospital on February 9, 2005, at the age of 67.