Linda Davis's Dream Home

06/19/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Lisa Zhito

(6/19/98) - DreamWorks Records' Nashville division signed former jingle singer and Reba McEntire duet partner Linda Davis to a record contract Monday. Three DreamWorks execs presented the contract to a surprised Davis after her guest performance on the label's afternoon Fan Fair showcase at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds.

Davis scored a huge hit in 1993 with the Grammy-winning song "Does He Love You," a duet with her mentor and former co-manager McEntire. The two teamed again on the 1996 duet, "If I Could Live Your Life." But success independent of McEntire has eluded Davis: albums on CBS/Sony, Capitol and Arista failed to establish her with country audiences.

DreamWorks has been testing the waters with Davis by promoting her song, "I Wanna Remember This," off the Decca Black Dog soundtrack--a project that also features DreamWorks labelmate Randy Travis. "Remember" just cracked the top 40, apparently a strong enough performance to convince label officials that they could succeed with Davis where others have failed.

No producer has been selected for Davis's DreamWorks debut as yet. Song selection has just begun, and an album probably won't be released until late Fall or early 1999.

-- Lisa Zhito, Nashville