# Janette Davis

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{{Short description|American singer (1916–2005)}}{{Infobox musical artist
| image             = Janette Davis.png
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1916|11|2}}
| birth_place       = [Memphis, Tennessee](/source/Memphis%2C_Tennessee), United States
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2005|4|25|1916|11|2}}
| spouse            = {{marriage|Robert Jenson|1939|1945|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|Frank Musiello|October 17, 1957}}
}}

'''Dorothy Janette Marguerite Davis''' (November 2, 1916 – April 25, 2005) was a 20th-century American pop singer, noted particularly for her work for [Arthur Godfrey](/source/Arthur_Godfrey).

==Biography==
Dorothy Janette Marguerite Davis was born on November 2, 1916, in [Memphis, Tennessee](/source/Memphis%2C_Tennessee), the eldest of eight children, and grew up in [Pine Bluff, Arkansas](/source/Pine_Bluff%2C_Arkansas). She began singing and playing piano on the radio at age fourteen.<ref name=bio/> Pursuing her career, Davis sang for radio stations in [Quincy, Illinois](/source/Quincy%2C_Illinois), then [Shreveport, Louisiana](/source/Shreveport%2C_Louisiana), then [Cincinnati](/source/Cincinnati), after which she was a regular on [NBC](/source/NBC)'s [Red Skelton](/source/Red_Skelton) show in 1939 and 1940. She then moved to [Chicago](/source/Chicago) and was a regular on [Don McNeill](/source/Don_McNeill_(radio_presenter))'s and [Garry Moore](/source/Garry_Moore)'s radio shows, then on various shows on radio station [WBBM](/source/WBBM_(AM)).<ref name=bio/> Davis then became a radio staff singer for [CBS](/source/CBS) in [New York](/source/New_York_City). There she was noticed by Arthur Godfrey who hired her in April 1946 as his resident female singer. The Arthur Godfrey show became very popular and earned Davis national exposure.<ref name=bio/>

From 1947 to 1948, she had her own 15-minute radio show; her theme song was "[I'll Get By](/source/I'll_Get_By_(As_Long_as_I_Have_You))". She appeared on programs and recorded the [hillbilly song](/source/Country_music) "I Didn't Know the Gun Was Loaded" which became her biggest hit.<ref name=bio/> Davis stayed with Godfrey until 1956, when she retired from singing. She then became executive producer of ''[Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts](/source/Arthur_Godfrey's_Talent_Scouts)'' until that show's cancellation, after which she retired from show business entirely.<ref name=bio/> Davis sang the Carolina Rice jingle, which ran nationally from the late 1940s well into the mid 1950s; she called it "my biggest hit record".<ref name=discography/>

==Personal life==
Davis was married to Robert Jenson from 1939 to 1945. She married Frank Musiello on October 17, 1957 and moved to [Naples, Florida](/source/Naples%2C_Florida). She had two children. She died on April 25, 2005.<ref name=bio/>

==References==
<references>

<ref name=bio>{{cite web |url=http://www.janettedavis.net/p/Janette_Davis_bio.php |title=Janette Davis Biography |author=Ray Hagen |work=Janette Davis: An Appreciation |accessdate=January 14, 2017}}</ref>

<ref name=discography>{{cite web |url=http://www.janettedavis.net/p/Janette_Davis_discography.php |title=Janette Davis Discography |author=Ray Hagen |work=Janette Davis: An Appreciation |accessdate=January 14, 2017}}</ref>

</references>

==External links==
*{{IMDb name |nm0204769}}
*{{Discogs artist}}
*{{AllMusic|artist|mn0000212713}}
*{{YouTube|id=Iw5y_LgmGjs|title=Janette Davis sings "Merry Christmas Polka" on Arthur Godfrey's show}}
*{{YouTube|id=RrBHL6-5_L0|title=Janette Davis sings the Carolina Rice jingle}}.

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Janette}}
Category:1916 births
Category:2005 deaths
Category:20th-century American women singers
Category:American women pop singers
Category:Singers from Arkansas
Category:Singers from Memphis, Tennessee
Category:People from Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Category:20th-century American singers
Category:21st-century American women

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Janette Davis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janette_Davis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janette_Davis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.