A songwriter, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, New Orleans native George Davis was a member of the Hawketts, who recorded the classic Crescent City hit "Mardi Gras Mambo" for the Chess label. Additionally, he played on numerous sessions, including the ones that birthed Willie Tee's "Teasin' You" and Lee Dorsey's version of Allen Toussaint's "Working in the Coal Mine." Around the time those songs were released, Davis teamed with saxophonist Alvin Red Tyler and ex-school teacher Warren Parker to start a production company. Davis' childhood friend Aaron Neville was their first signee. Songwriting partner Lee Diamond gave Davis a song idea, basically a title, for him to work on. The idea developed into "Tell It Like It Is," recorded by Neville. Davis shopped the song to record labels in New Orleans and New York, but it was rejected, which prompted Davis and his partners to start the Par-Lo label. In 1966, "Tell It Like It Is" was given a small pressing, about 2,000 copies, some of which were taken to local radio stations. The song, which featured Davis not only as the co-songwriter but as the arranger and baritone saxophonist as well, took off; it held the number one Billboard R&B spot for four weeks and went to number two pop. Par-Lo shortly folded thereafter, but the song became a soul classic and was covered by dozens of artists, including Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, George Benson, Nina Simone, and Heart. Davis moved to New York in 1970 and worked with the likes of Joe Zawinul, Sarah Vaughan, and Duke Ellington. He died of heart failure in 2008. ~ Ed Hogan & Andy Kellman, Rovi