Jonathan Davis - Early Life

Early Life

Davis was born in Bakersfield, California to Rick Davis and Holly Chavez. He has a sister named Alyssa, a half brother, Mark Chavez, (the former lead singer for Adema) and half sister Amanda Chavez by his mother. His father was a keyboardist for Buck Owens while his mother was a professional dancer. His parents divorced when he was three years old, his mother leaving Rick for Judas, and was raised by his father and stepmother Lily in Bakersfield. Davis suffered severe bouts of asthma as a child, and had survived a near-fatal asthma attack when he was five, when he was pronounced clinically dead for several minutes. He also spoke of having a horrible relationship with his stepmother. He said she used to torture him, put extremely hot oil and make him drink it when he was sick and harass him. But later on his father divorced her. He says the song 'Kill You' was about her. Davis has said that his earliest musical inspiration as a child was the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Jesus Christ Superstar, and his favorite musical group was Duran Duran. He graduated from Highland High School in 1989. He also attended the San Francisco School of Mortuary Science for a period of time. He was harassed persistently in Highland High School primarily by jocks for being different by wearing eyeliner, long clothes, working in a Coroner Assistant's office and listening to new wave band Duran Duran. He was teased, harmed, beaten and even he was constantly called homophobic names. He says even teachers were mean to him and even sent him to the counselor for wearing eyeliner. He says Mr. Rogers was responsible for making him a victim in his childhood.