Draft:Laura Davis-Chanin

Laura Davis-Chanin (born December 2, 1961), is an American author. Her first book, The Girl in the Back: A Female Drummer's Life with Bowie, Blondie and the '70s Rock Scene, was named one of the top 10 Music books in 2018 by Billboard Magazine. It chronicles her life as a drummer in the late '70s New York punk scene with her band The Student Teachers as they performed in  renowned punk nightclubs––Max's Kansas City and CBGBs. The book also covers her relationship with Jimmy Destri from Blondie who produced her band's records as well as her friendship with David Bowie who gave her life-saving advice when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1980.

Her second book, I am Michael Alago, covers the life of Michael Alago, the remarkable man who brought Metallica to the world as well as reigniting Nina Simone's career.

Her next book, Infinite Dreams: The Life of Alan Vega about the iconic performer and artist, Alan Vega from the band Suicide, will be released in June, 2024.

The Student Teachers
In 1978, Laura formed the band The Student Teachers with her friends, Bill Arning, Lori Reese, David Scharff, Philip Shelley and Joe Katz. When they first formed, Laura and Lori decided to be the rhythm section--one of the first at that time in rock n' roll--but they didn't know how to play their instruments. One month after learning the drums and bass, respectively, and the band started rehearsing, they had their first gig at Max's Kansas City opening for The Blessed.

Over the next two years, they played shows with MC5, Iggy Pop, The Cramps, The Mumps, Richard Hell, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and they attracted the interest of David Bowie who helped them with reworking some of their songs and getting them important shows such as opening for Iggy Pop at the Palladium in NYC. The band released a single, "Channel 13/Christmas Weather" in 1979 on Ork Records with Jimmy Destri producing. The following year, Jimmy Destri produced Marty Thau Presents 2x5 on Marty Thau's Red Star Records which included a number of songs by various artists including The Student Teachers, The Fleshtones, The Bloodless Pharaohs with Brian Setzer, Comateens and The Revelons

In 2022, The New York Times published a cover page article about the late '70s time in New York and the Teen bands taking the city by storm. The Student Teachers were highlighted in the story. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/03/arts/music/teen-punk-bands-nyc.html

Blondie
Jimmy Destri brought Laura along on Blondie's early tours across the world which she writes about in her first book, The Girl in the Back. He also pulled her in to co-write 2 songs for Blondie--"Slow Motion" in 1979 on the album Eat to the Beat and "Angels on the Balcony" on the album AutoAmerican in 1980.

Early life
Laura was born in Fairfax, Virginia. Her mother, Mary Virginia Davis, was a technical writer working for the U.S. Government and her father, Douglas Davis, was art critic for Newsweek Magazine in the 1980s and 1990s as well as a successful visual and performance artist known for his art performances with Joseph Beuys and Nam June Paik. Laura's parents divorced and her father married Jane Bell. Laura and her sister, Mary Beth, moved to New York City in 1973 with her father and her stepmother. Laura attended St. Luke's Elementary School then Friends Seminary High School.

Personal Life
After being diagnosed with MS in 1980, she attended New York University earning her BFA in 1986 in Dramatic Writing. She married in 1991 and had two children, Zoe in 1992 and Mara in 1994. After her second daughter was born, she attended CUNY School of Law and graduated in 1999.