Linda Davis
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Linda Davis: From Reba McEntire Duet Partner to Famous Mother

Linda Davis knew she wanted to be a country star when she was a young child. In fact, she made her debut singing on a radio station at the age of 6 and was instantly hooked. She spent her childhood looking for any and every opportunity to sing and perform. Not only did she sing in church, but she taught herself how to play the piano. Her parents drove her from their home in East Texas up to Louisiana so she could audition and perform at the historic Louisiana Hayride. By the age of 20, she had packed her bags for Nashville to try to make it as a country music star. 

She kicked off her career as half of the country duo Skip & Linda with fellow performer Skip Eaton, but after she was discovered by producer Bob Montgomery singing at a Sheraton hotel, Davis was able to embark on her own solo career. 

The peak of her career was in the' 90s, finding major success with her duet with Reba McEntire, "Does He Love You." It earned the women a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration in 1993.

"Some Things Are Meant to Be" was another successful single and the highest-charting hit of her career, reaching number 13 on the Billboard chart. Over the years she performed with the likes of Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers, George Strait and more superstars. But most importantly, working in music allowed her to meet her husband, Lang Scott. 

Scott won the very first season of the TV show You Can Be A Star, a Nashville Network series that was on the air during the '80s. He found some major success as a songwriter, with stars like LeAnn Rimes and JoDee Messina recording his songs. He was also part of Reba McEntire's band as a guitarist and background vocalist.

The couple toured and recorded in the studio with McEntire for eight years, which is part of the reason why Davis was in position to record "Does He Love You." After the initial recording in the studio, Davis had no idea that they would keep her voice on the record. She assumed it would make more marketing sense to have a big name like Trisha Yearwood attached, but Reba kept her on and it became one of the most memorable moments in Davis' career.

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Davis met her future husband after she first moved to Tennessee and snagged a job as a receptionist at a small recording studio. The couple tied the knot in 1984 and continued to keep country music central to their lives and marriage. 

Country music became a family business for the Scott's. The couple had two daughters, Rylee Jean and Hillary Scott, lead singer of Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum). In fact, the family started a gospel band together called Hillary Scott and The Scott Family. They released their first album together in 2016 called Love Remains. All members of the family appear on the album, including Hillary's younger sister, Rylee Scott. Love Remains brought home a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Album and its lead single, "Thy Will," won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. 

Even though Lang and Linda got to tour the world following their dreams, Davis tells WSIG that it's been even more special watching Hillary and all of her success over the years with Lady A. 

"It's better," she says. "It's even better when you watch (your) kid living out their dream."

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