The Awesome Pittsburgh grant will be used towards the writing of a biography about local musical and cultural pioneer, Betty Davis.

In the 1970s, African American singer/songwriter Betty Davis developed a radical sound and look that was feared and ridiculed by white and Black America alike. As an artistic pioneer and unapologetic feminist, she was once boycotted for her sexually dominant lyrics and physically suggestive live performances but would later emerge in the twenty-first century as a musical and cultural icon after decades of deep reclusion. Betty influenced many musical heavyweights – from her husband Miles Davis to lovers and friends like Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, and Eric Clapton – but she herself is only now getting the adulation she deserved.

Betty Davis was raised in Homestead, PA before leaving to perform on stages in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, France, and Tokyo. After years of being badly burned by the music industry, Betty suffered deep psychological trauma and returned to Pittsburgh in the early 1980s to live in reclusion. For two decades, Betty languished in obscurity and poverty. All of that began to change, however, when an independent record label successfully contacted her and began the process of reissuing her music.

In 2007, the music of Betty Davis was reissued to a wave of critical acclaim. Betty’s reissues were an overwhelming success for Betty herself, who not only benefited financially from the arrangement but also felt encouraged to include her voice in more conversations about her life and music via interviews—something she had not done for over two decades.