The day for me starts around 6am. This includes keeping fit in my  home gym, eating well and a routine of piano practice and composition for at least one hour a day sometimes two when ever time allows. This is my meditation time.

A time when the mind is quiet but creative and inspirational ideas flow. At around  9am I begin to accomplish my goals for the day. This can vary from recording in  studio or completing a new CD or DVD release or attending a media event.

The gift of music for me has allowed me to live my dream of bringing peace and harmony to peoples lives. I give thanks daily for this spiritual gift. A never-ending belief and love of music and a healthy positive attitude, have resulted in the achievements to date. The composition of music and the business of marketing the music takes great dedication, like an athlete, whose goal it is, to win gold at the Olympic Games. You have to be totally dedicated and focused to win!
Each goal achieved, opens a new door and you go through that door and enter a new unfolding part of your life.

My musical skills started in the school band in England at the age of nine where I was the lead trumpet player. My family came to Australia in 1963 and settled in Adelaide where I attended school.

In 1970 after spending time in jobs I liked but didn't love I dabbled with keyboards  and began started composing music after picking up a guitar on a cruise ship going to England for my first overseas holiday, and to my surprise found the guitar easy to play. At the end of the cruise I could play The House Of The Rising Sun. I wrote my first song called **Do They Have to Kill The Wales**. This was a calling to assist the whales and dolphins to be protected worldwide and to help bring that focus to the world. I have always loved nature!

                                (Click Here To See Early Photos Of Ken In London In 1970 - 1971)

My passion for music was endless and this enthusiasm led to me to wanting to become a success in music in Australia first and then the world!
I joined a blues band in Adelaide in 1971, to learn more playing skills, and spent a year with the band with Ian Nancarrow and learnt a great deal. Formed my First band * Khan* was formed in Adelaide in1972 and played mostly original music but no record contract resulted. Being under the Zodiac of Sagittarius I always felt comfortable being the leader and organizer of the band.

The Khan band moved from Adelaide to Perth for two years and played every venue in Perth. We supported Midnight Oil, Split Ends Sherbet, Hush, Mi Sex and many other top Australian Bands. Khan was a well-known band in Perth.                                                                  

 The band then went through a line up change and moved to Sydney. In Sydney the band went through various line up changes and a name change and became IQ.

Left Top: Ken Davis (Keyboards Guitar  Right Top: Andrew Sakawtiz (Synthesizers-Piano)
Bottom Left Alex Bash (Drums)  Bottom Right Carl Rourke (bass)

Live performances of IQ can be seen on www.youtube.com

This band became very well known in the music business, as an original band in Australia. Andrew the keyboard player at the time left the band to join another and that's when I met a very young Mars Lasar after watching him on a television program playing Jean Michelle Jaree's  Oxygene. I called Mars and after much persuasion he joined the band. The band became even more electronic and modern using synthesizers as its base. Mars had a creative mind and I inspired him to write music for IQ. We wrote songs both solo and together and recorded a Mini Album Called IQ (This was the bands first and last release on an independent label called Cream Music.

 The Album never received airplay but sold a few copy to our fans.

After many gigs and a year  later I  decided to disband and form an electronic duo with Mars Lasar and kept the name IQ.

 We were lucky to have met a very enthusiastic fan of IQ who became our manager. His name was called Christophe Vali. Christophe had met Kim Ryrie from Fairlight Industries and mentioned he managed IQ. Kym became very interested as he had been at the Mike Oldfield Concert the week before and had been very impressed by IQ's performance and music. Kym and Peter Vogal had developed The Fairlight Music Instrument, the most elaborate music computer system in the world and at the time used by Stevie Wonder. They began talking and IQ was invited to Fairlight in Darlinghurst Sydney where I was very vocal about acquiring a Fairlight and performing with one live. Kym agreed and we ended up with two Fairlights and spent a great deal of time creating music on them. This elevated our profile and we started to get Television Appearances like Donny Sutherlands Sounds and Simon Townsend's Wonder World. In1982  IQ went to Tokyo and Osaka as the IQ Band to display our skills on the Fairlight Music Computer. 

                                                  
                     Ken Davis and Mars Laser In Tokyo Performing With Two Fairlight Computers

This was a great experience, as I had always wanted to go to Japan.

After Japan Henk Visschedijk now known as Darpan living in Byron Bay and is a spiritual healer joined the IQ band  as lead vocalist and together we recorded Humans. I wrote the music and Henk and I worked on the Lyrics. We filmed the film clip for the song The New Tomorrow at Jamison Street in Sydney and this was a success. However it did not lead to a recording contract. Through Fairlight I had been introduced to the Linn Drum machine and modern mixers. This had given me a great opportunity to realize the potential of new music now called dance music. Mars Lasar decided to go it alone, soon after, and moved to the USA and continued his career with Fairlight USA. Henk had other solo gigs as well as being a sought after actor at the time.

Disillusioned with the music business the Australian Music Industry did not know what to do with a creative and innovative composer into ambient and melodic music. I looked for the alternative solution. My gift was melody. I loved synthesizers and sequencers as this allowed my mind to create music of a new era soon to be known as New Age Music! I acquired more Roland Synthesizers. The early Roland SH2 and TR 707 Drum machines. These linked together and produced a sound that I knew would be popular. I spent day and night for many months experimenting with all my new gear and still incorporated my guitar playing in the music at the time. I felt confident that this new music was going to give me an opportunity to go it alone. No more was I going to rely on other members of the band. With all my new gear I could produce everything!

The Solo Era 1983

This was the time I decided to branch out on my own and perform solo on synthesizers and guitar. It was the best decision I ever made.   

  In 1983 recording the innovative music from the line out sockets from the back of my YAMAHA mixer, direct to cassette tape on a Ghetto Blaster, resulted in a recorded sound of exceptional quality. This quality still today stands up today as some of the best recordings ever made. All of these ideas came from intuition and creativity and belief. Breaking down traditional barriers always gave me a thrill. These recordings were called  The Early Master Tapes. These still exist today, and will be released in years to come. My first solo instrumental release was Imagination on cassette, followed by my first relaxation release Feelings From Within. Then came Early Morning In The Rainforest and Crystal Clear followed by Dreamscapes and then Visual Dreams. Visual Dreams featured The Arabic scale and seemed to affect people in a way that defies explanation as the combination of music and spiritual scales and melody touched people profoundly.

At Circular Quay in 1984, now known as customs house Square, and getting the power for the PA System and keyboards from the local café there. The first live solo performance by Ken Davis was on a Sunday afternoon at 2pm in 1984. 

                                     Ken's First Solo Performance At Circular Quay Sydney 1984

60 cassette tapes had been duplicated just in case anyone wanted to purchase the music. The IQ album was also for sale as I had a few copies left.

To my sheer delight, people lined up to purchase the cassettes during the breaks and I autographed them. All 60 cassettes were sold that afternoon as well as six IQ solo albums.

I had proved to myself that the public liked the music enough to purchase directly from my live performances. After fifteen years of trying to get a recording contract, I could do it on my own! 

This had never been attempted in Australia and I became the first artist in Australia to create, record and sell his own music. Now many other Australian artists have followed a similar path and sell their own music at live performances

Realizing that day I didn’t need a major record company to sell and distribute the music, I looked forward to performing live again the  very next week. Thanks Intuition. Ken Davis Music could do all its own contracts and bookings for live performances and promote and sell the music by performing live.
The next performance at Customs House Square in Sydney was organized for the following week, as the cafe where I had my power plugged into had increased their turnover for the day and more free performances were organized for the next four Sundays.

 David Martin then asked his father if a regular performance at the Sydney Opera House Bennelong for no fee could be organized allowing the merchandising of my music. New rules were being written and transformed by the day.
He agreed to the weekly performances and so the regular Opera House Live shows became a regular event. One of the best and well known landmarks in Australia and the world had become my regular performance space.

 This led to the music being taken back to every country in the world from airline flight crews visiting the Opera house and purchasing the music as well as thousands of tourists and locals who enjoyed the relaxing and beautiful melodies. 
The music became popular on United Airlines and Qantas and 10other airlines worldwide. People wrote to me often from hearing the music on these Airlines. Qantas uses the music regularly on its Oasis relaxation channel on International Flights today.
Thanks to the live performances at the Sydney Opera House. 

A guest book for all the names and addresses of people was placed at the point of sale.
Anew CD/cassette was released about every 6months.

This resulted in an increase in cassette sales.
As well as The Sydney Opera House regular performances I appeared regularly at Sydney's  Darling Harbor Entertainment Complex as well as Manly Wharf, Pier One, China Town, Penrith Mall,  Blacktown Mall, Brisbane Mall, Caville St Mall Gold Coast ,Newcastle Mall, Coffs Harbor, 

Byron Bay, Expo 88, Universities Australia Wide, Martin Place Amphitheatre, Adelaide’s Rundle Mall, Penrith Mall, Perth and Fremantle Malls, The opening of the Pitt St Mall In Sydney. Melbourne and Canberra Shopping Centers including Canberra Festival sponsored by St George Building Society in1984. I performed in Canberra many times later as Canberra was in need of this style of music!

At this time the Spirit Of The Rainbow cassette was released and assisted Green peace with raising funds for their environmental causes by my donating part of the proceeds of the sales. The Rainbow Warrior composition was composed the very next day after news broke that it had been sunk in New Zealand Harbor. It was a very powerful and influential peace of music. Many radio interviews were forthcoming and so word of the music was slowly gaining recognition and a name becoming a household word in Sydney.

Barry Board at J and B Records in Australia released *Quest For Utopia* in 1986 on CD Cassette and Vinyl. This was my first CD release. A TV Marketing campaign by J and B records followed and informed thousands of people of the new release!

This release was made up of many of my favorite tracks live!  Being a proud Australian  wherever  I performed live, Australian Flags were placed on all four corners of the keyboard stands. This helped gain positive recognition from the public of my love for Australia.

The music being composed at this time was varied, even incorporating High Energy Music for people that liked aerobics and to be motivated, but the Ken Davis Live cassettes and CDS sold very well as people liked to watch the ability to control eight keyboards and a mixer and make inspirational music at the same time. 

A Cassette for Tai Chi was created after researching that there was no specific releases of music for Tai Chi and this release was the first Tai Chi Music Cassette in the world! Tai Chi performances were a regular feature at the live performances.  It was a market that opened up as did many others to my music as an alternative market. Massage, Tai Chi Yoga and so on!    

In 1985 Ken Davis Music was registered as a business name and used until 1992, when the business became a company titled Ken Davis Music International Pty Ltd. My goals were to become successful in Australia and then the world.

Darling Harbor where Ken opened the Dolphin Court in 1994 in the Festival Marketplace proved to be a winner! as I was able to convince the entertainment coordinator that if I was given permission to perform live regularly for free, I could merchandise my CDS and cassettes every Saturday or Sunday or public holiday when not at The Opera House! This worked and played often after 4pm when everything else was finished. The crowds were huge. They wanted to take some music home and the tourists were always eager to purchase Australian Music

The autographing of CDS and Cassettes proved to be very popular.

Glossy colored brochures were produced and more CDS and Cassettes were created.

Australian Geographic retail stores were approached to sell the music and accepted the offer. I became the first Australian composer to be selected for music sales in there retail stores throughout Australia.  Early Morning In The Rainforest was the first release in there stores, and still sells today as does Daintree Dreamtime, Crystal Clear and many other titles on the music interactives in each store including my first DVD Waterfalls . There are now more than 50Australian Geographic Stores nationally . I am involved in creating  music especially composed and displayed for the branding of Australian Geographic Stores. This achievement has created a win win situation with this company and continues today. 

ABC music in Australia had also taken on the music nationally as  many people had requested Ken's music when visiting theABC Stores.

In 1992 Ken  attended the Midem Music Festival in Cannes for the first time in France. The heads of record Companies go every year to this event to swap catalogues and to introduce new artists and new product. Canne is about building relationships.

You build friendships and relationships by going to Canne.

During my first visit to Midem in Canne  a meeting was arranged with Canadian businessman Frank Swain. He headed a company out of Toronto Canada called Holborne Distributing and we got along really well.

His catalogue was instrumental music and nature sounds .This was a lucky break for me as he was looking for new product to extend his Holborne Catalogue.

Frank Swain took my samples back to Canada and within three weeks a distribution deal was signed. My titles were placed on Holborne Canada’s Music Interactives throughout the USA and Canada

On that Midem visit Hans Vatter from Amsterdam based company Dureco, approached KDMI for samples . This resulted in a distribution deal for Europe. All in all a very good first visit to Midem Canne. I have attended Midem 8 times now and will attend more in the future.

At this time the Atmospheres cassette and CD had sold over 100,000 units. CDS of Pan Flutes By The Ocean and Call Of The Dolphin and Early Morning In The Rainforest were also selling very well.  Pan Flutes by the Ocean today has sold over 250,000 copies worldwide overtaking Atmospheres that had sold 150,000.

On returning to Australia I was approached by well known public speaker Sandy MacGregor from Calm Australia and created a special peace of music called Infinite Joy for his Seminar Business. Sandy has sold over 100000 CDS and Cassettes and still sells today..

Many other practitioners use the music in there healing centers incorporating massage and alternative therapies. Beauty salons also use the music . This is a captive audience whilst customers are having therapy treatments. 

At Midem in 1992 I also met the General Manager of Dino Music Australia , Gary Jones in Canne. He invited me to join his group at lunch. We chatted and talked about Dino Music Australia distributing my product with a TV campaign. They advertised nationally and dropped 30,000 CDS and Cassettes with TV ads featuring waterfalls and beautiful images of nature as a backdrop and it worked ! My music was taking a new direction working with Nature Sounds in most of my releases and The Relaxation Music was popular!

The haunting sound of the Pan Flute appealed to a great many people of all ages in the community. This meant that the music appealed from young people to the elderly. 

My distribution deal in Australia continued for three years with Dino and in 1996 Dino and Ken Davis Music parted company.

I had been determined to open a New Age Label called Atlantis still with Dino music but Dino declined the idea.

Time for Change! 

My popularity  in Canada and the US was strong through Holborne Canada as Holborne Canada. They  had introduced my music via the Music Interactives to the US forces in US bases worldwide. This was a new market. Sales increased dramatically in the US and Canada on the music Interactives.

 The brochures became more glossier and the Ken Davis Music Web site was launched on the web in1994. I always liked to be first in keeping up with technology. I remember how hard it was to get on line at that time.

I did however see that one day music would come through the telephone line. It was at this time I performed my first live concert with a full lighting and audio visual production at the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood  Sydney.

 It was a success but was marred by 48 hours of torrential rain that stopped many of the fans who had booked to see the concert from attending. I remember the whole production team was soaked to the skin when we moved all of the equipment out of the theatre. It was still raining two days later!

Healing Wards North Shore Hospital

In 1998 I worked with Joanne Turner a Canadian girl who was gravely ill with Leukemia whilst working artist in Sydney Australia. Joanne wrote to me requesting that I perform a live concert to raise money to assist the patients at Royal North Shore Hospital. I had been there a year earlier to see another friend who had Leukemia and was not impressed with what I saw. I agreed to help and three concerts and lots of help three months later and thanks to The Independent Theatre and all those who helped with the concert and silent raffle and donations we raised $ 50,000 . Joanne was a credit to her and if you are ever at the Royal North Shore go to level 12 in the main building and see the Dolphin and Rainforest Rooms we created. I always wanted to be involved in creating healing houses and started here with the first healing ward and was rewarded with patients having there daily chemo therapy in a harmonious environment tell me how thankful they were to me having helped create the wards. Beautiful lounges enclosed with music DVD and video assisted the patients to relax and distress. Robin Martin a well known Sydney Artist painted all the Murals and paintings that adorn the walls. Thanks to the Mirree Aboriginal Dancers and to all the artists listed who gave there time to a great cause that will live on for many years at The Royal North Shore Hospital.

1999 

2000    A big year with the Sydney 2000 Games. Attended opening ceremony. Acquired Sony digital camera and began filing Nature including Waterfalls of far North Queensland. Made several regular visits to Cairns and was lucky enough to capture the Barron Gorge in flood as well as the most pristine environment of Mossman Gorge.

Then with all the footage I had acquired I purchased a Casablanca Editing Suite and began to edit my first  DVD of nature and waterfalls and loved every minute of this new and exciting project. It features many of the popular Waterfalls in Far North Queensland. This was always a dream and with my Sony Digital Camera it became a reality!

2001   Created Environmental Classics DVD and released through ABC Music Sydney Australia. This was a combination of Daintree Rainforest, Flowers, Oceans, Clouds Whales and Dolphin footage to classical music with a twist.

2002

2203   

I attend business meetings all over Australia and promote my music and speak of the Dream to Reality which is what you have been reading for the past thirty minutes!

Attended Midem 2003 and a successful meeting with Oreade Music who are distributing my Waterfalls DVD throughout the world as well as signing a deal for Spain and Portugal. Unfortunately the Spanish company went bankrupt soon after the signing through piracy in that country

2004 Ken toured China with Manjia Luo a concert violinist and dancer.

Ken Is Always Happy For Photo's With Fans After The Concerts

                        
Ken toured China with Manjia Luo a concert violinist and dancer.  Ken performed at the distinguished Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou as well as many other cities.

 
Ken and Manjia Lou In Concert In Beijing China

2005  Created and released the Early Morning In The Rainforest DVD which featured special moving nature menu's of which I was very proud  and released the SPA CD as well as a second tour of China in November 2005.  I was lucky enough to visit the City Of Qingdao where the sailing will take place for the 2008 Beijing Games. Manjia Luo and  I were also a guests at the unveiling of a Charles Billitch painting for the Olympic City Of Qingdao Government. I performed other concerts in Guangzhou.

November 2005
Ken celebrates the arrival of the Kawai CR40 Crystal Grand Piano. The only one of its kind in Australia!
December 2005 

2006

January 2006
Ken begins to record crystal piano CD for release in 2006

January  - March         Promotional Tour and Filming of Adelaide for up and coming CD Release
May 24th - June 4th    Promotional and concert tour of China including filming of Lake and Lei Feng Ta Temple
                                     in  Hangzhou. Visited Shanghai University for discussions about national tour in 2007. Visited the  South China University to spend time with Chancellor Luo Shimming                   

June 22-24th                 Performed live at INATS (International New Age Trade Show) In Denver Colorado
                                                                     

July 2006             Ken meets Nick Hodgson at INATS show. They form a great bond and a management offer is made to Nick
                      Ken  travels to Albuquerque to attend and AMMA festival and is invited to play on two separate  occasions whilst AMMA gives Darshan. This was arranged by his new manger Nick.

July 4th         Ken visits the Yogananda Lake Shrine in Los Angeles and has a special guided tour by Brahma Charie Lee on the way to spend time in Encinitas near San Diego on the coast.

  July 9th        Ken performs at Joe Stumps private residence in Encinitas with a laser show. They had to turn many           people away as there was only room for 100 people

                      Ken spends time in Encinitas creating new music on Roland XV 88 Keyboard. Music is pouring out of     Kens heart and soul as he feels totally at home in the USA
Ken agrees with Nick  to re create his web site that will give him a much wider profile in the USA with Charlie from
we expert USA. A strategy is worked out so the site will live and breathe. Ken ships over CD and DVD  stock  from to meet the demand for samples of his music.

19th July  Ken travels to Las Vegas for 4 days  to film life in Vegas

July 22nd Ken with Manjia Luo attend International Poets Conference at Riviera Casino and promote there music
and to see a good business colleague International Photographer  Australian Peter Lik who now has galleries in Las Vegas, Hawaii, Australia and more.

Peter invited Ken to attend the opening of his new gallery in The Venetian Casino complex in October 2006
July 23rd Ken travels back to Encinitas to perform a an evening in Encinitas with Violinist Manjia

Ken with Nick meet a very influential lawyer who will assist him in getting Visa's for up and coming tours in the USA.

July 27th  Ken sets up his keyboards to perform at The Los Angeles Gift Show in Los Angeles Convention Centre for four days of performance and promotions. Public are very enthusiastic.                                   

August 2006

Ken stays in Los Angeles and spends time with good friend Jill L'armand

August 3rd                      Airport and return to Sydney to prepare for Adelaide CD launch on August 18th

August 18th             Ken performs live in Rundle Mall Adelaide to a very receptive Adelaide audience.
                                He was sponsored by Allan's Music of Adelaide and Swiss Cheese Cakes of South Australia.
                                Ken is originally from Adelaide and is very proud to have produced a CD for South Australia
                                                                                     and Adelaide.

September 2006      Ken is currently preparing to return to the USA for more gigs and to expand his
                                 music distribution with his new management team. Ken  assisted violinist Manjia Luo to
                                produce her live concert in Manly on September 24th.
                                                
              Manjia performs her first solo concert in the Manly Gallery. The sound and visuals produced by Ken Davis

October 2006  Ken attends opening of Sydney's new Wildlife Word at  Sydney's Darling Harbour
                       

November 2006    Ken Attends Support Act Fund Raiser - Ken Attends APRA Screen Awards.

December  2006  Ken celebrates Christmas and gives his presentation at Caringbah Rotary Club.
                              Ken prepares to return to the USA early in 2007.

January  2007

May 2007         Ken releases The Blue Mountains Experience, a Collection of his music that features the beauty of Nature in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales Australia

Ken releases  a special CD for AMMA worldwide and all proceeds got towards Amma's amazing work in India creating Hospitals, Schools and building houses for the poor.

June 16th 2007

Ken travels to Los Angeles to attend an Amma retreat  and to presents his CD  titled  Amma's Love to her personally and to begin the process of the CD raising money for her wonderful work with building houses for the homeless and the poor in India as well as build schools to educate the children.

June 22nd - 25th  2007

Ken Attends INATS International New Age Festival in Denver Colorado USA with Violinist Manjia Luo and Sydney Pianist Fiona Hawkins accompanied by Husband Steve Hawkins. Ken played piano and featured his new CD release SPA Crystal Piano. Ken has been attending INATS for more than 5 years and has many friends at INATS including New York Pianist Richard Schulman.

July 2007  Ken visits his good friend Peter Lik . Australia's and the worlds most celebrated landscape photographer.
Ken was invited by Peter to visit his exclusive home in the Red Rock Country Club. Peter took time out to show Ken his galleries both at Ceasers Palace  and The Venetian Casinos. www.peterlik.com


November 2nd to 4th 2007  Live Performance

Ken performs at Australian Festival In Fort Lauderdale Florida. Ken wrote the festival song. This Is My Australia.

Ken will be adding more photos from his career over the coming months so keep coming back and take a look!

                                                          Ken Davis Brings Beautiful Music To The World

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Ken Filming and Recording Nature Sounds

Happiness Always
Ken Davis

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