Pictured above are our studios and control room in the MCP DaviSound Studios, CIRCA 1984. The control room console is our first custom DS-24/16/2 SuperSystem console (built in 1981 and still performing beautifully) and with the exception of a FEW pieces of digital gear (and a new telephone!), the control room is still very much the same as when this photo was taken!

There are vintage analog recorders (all updated with DaviSound electronics) and, of course, quite a few DaviSound outboard "Tool Boxes" processors!

The cozy studio area is a classic seven-sided, live/dead room which has provided a relaxed, creative atmosphere for hundreds of sessions.

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Passionate Beginnings ...

Our "heyday" for in-house productions was the 1970's but, while we still do some occasional, select work for the broadcast and music industries ....
since 1979 our primary PASSION has been for the "tools" of our trade.

Born out of love and respect for the finest audio electronics attainable, we began designing and fabricating our own custom audio gear, first for our own use, and ultimately for other studios and broadcast facilities all across the country.

Today, our studios are primarily used for experimental work and for testing our various original designs.

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WAY BACK IN TIME ...."Mother Cleo"...

Back in the early days (when the Analogasauras ruled the recording world!) we were very active with in-house, worldwide broadcast productions. This was a time when broadcast radio programming and production were considered true art forms. And, as such, stations were individually, creatively programmed and often exciting and entertaining to listen to as opposed to being the predictable, sound alike "jukeboxes", or the conglomerate owned propaganda machines, most have become today.

Amongst a list of over twelve hundred worldwide clients, were such giants as WNBC Radio, New York, The BBC (London and Bristol), Radio Luxembourg, WTBS Atlanta and many, many others.

We were particularly well-known in Canada for our novelty commercials and in England and Europe for our famous "Talking/Singing Moog" Synthesizer radio promo productions with agents operating in Ontario, London and Sweden (One of these agents happened to be Igil Aalvik ... who later became the infamous "Swedish Eagle" on "K-ROCK FM", Los Angeles!).

Among the many talented voices heard on MCP jingles over the years were native Newberrians ...
Kiki Kirkland (former Miss South Carolina/USA) ...
Brantlee Price (former Miss South Carolina and WIS television personality) and ...
Tommy Funderburk (noted professional studio singer in the Los Angeles music scene and composer of the number- one Starship single, "It's Not Enough").

Other talented Newberrians who frequently contributed to in-house recordings over the years were ...
Mary Ann Davis Hayes, Melissa Turbeville Crocker, Lloyd Brigman, Wayne Golden, Ryan Jones and
Bruce Wallace.

In the "Glory Days" of radio promos and jingles, some of our more popular voices were Newberry College Music Department students and they included Margie Fritz, Karen Hull, The Robinson sisters, George Liebenrood, Gary Griffith, Dean Yates and Michelle Herbin.

Many of the studio musicians over the years were from the neighboring counties of Union, Laurens, Saluda, Spartanburg, Greenville, Lexington and Richland. Some of those included, Mandale "Pickle" Eaves, Ronnie Hayes, Andre' Kerr, Freddie Vanderford, Don Reno, Curt Bradford, James Meadows, Lee Bogen, Lisa Miller, Sharon Dimmery, Bonnie Glenn and Vanessa Gaye.

We were also active in the southern rock recording scene with clients and associates such as ...
BILLY JOE ROYAL & ROYAL FAMILY, THE NEW CLASSICS IV, TOBY KING & CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK, LUKE, PERCY SLEDGE'S SLEDGEHAMMER, J.TEAL BAND, SUGAR & SPICE, RAW MATERIAL, GINA & REMINISING, CIMMARONS, WHISKEY ROAD, HIGH COTTON and dozens more.

In-house record labels included Mother Cleo, Cleo and CUB Records
with publishing wing Sweet Polly Music, BMI.

Our associations with outside producers/companies included Van Coble, Jack Gale, Barry Keel, Nelson Lemmond, Sonny Limbo, Shelby Singleton, Ron Weathers, Dick Wooley, Irwin Zucker, ABC Records, Double-Shot Records, Federal, Warner Brothers Records, Laurie Records, Playback Records and Lovey Music (in 1986 Jack Gale's Lovey Music, BMI, Miami, published and released Hayne Davis' original song,
"If You Want My Love", recorded first by Maura Sullivan [and later by Robin Wright], which hit upwards on American charts and topped airplay charts in Europe).

In the very early days, our production company was known as Mother Cleo Productions.
Later we incorporated the name into MCP DaviSound.
Today we are officially known, worldwide, as DaviSound.

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Thanks to writer Christine Kingsley for the following biographical excerpt:

Always operating with a comparatively small, full-time staff, MCP DaviSound has been the lifelong endeavor of Hayne Davis. Davis has been involved with the pro audio industry since forming his first rock band in 1963 at age 15!

He began a career in broadcasting in 1966, locally at WKDK, and did stints at several stations including WIXE, Monroe, N.C., a new station which he helped construct, in 1967, prior to serving as the station's music director and, ultimately, its operations manager. He was hired to go to Monroe by the new station owner and programming innovator, Dave Hedrick who was instrumental in inspiring and guiding Davis in the proper fundamentals of the art of professional radio programming and production.

In 1969, after returning to attend classes at Newberry College, he teamed up with the legendary, Lee Atwater and formed a small combo, featuring Atwater's blues guitar playing (along with Lee's loveable James Brown and Moms Mabley impersonations!) with Davis on Fender Bass, called Little Harvey (Lee's first name) & The Expressions. Chris Shope played drums and Glenn Robertson was lead vocalist.
The group played fraternity parties etc. around the southeast for a brief, but very successful, duration.

Then in 1970, after working on recording projects in other studios in Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and elsewhere, the first small MCP studio building was begun in Newberry. Later additions were added to the building in 1971, 1974 and 1979.

Davis has continually been active in many aspects of the media industry including record producing/engineering, songwriting/publishing, film-making, advertising, broadcast consulting and syndication. However, he says his primary "media love" nowadays is the ...
"creation of the tools that create the art"!

Today, while still writing, voicing and producing unique radio commercials when called upon, Hayne Davis primarily consults and troubleshoots for outside media centers, designs/fabricates/installs complete DaviSound audio and video systems and oversees every detail of the construction of his own designed "Tool Boxes" and other pro equipment. Each piece is individually signed by him (inside the box!) when it is certified for shipment.

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If you're interested in related background material ...
including photos of some of the more esoteric, original DaviSound electronics equipment ...
Then please check out ...
"DaviScenes Archives".

See other pages ...

DaviScenes Archives - A Photo History

DaviScenes - Photo Tour of DaviSound Currently

DaviSound Main Menu

e-mail: DaviSound@DaviSound.com

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