David L. Davis (February 16, 1961 – September 15, 2024) was an American mandolinist and singer in the bluegrass tradition. He has been cited as a foremost practitioner of

Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...

's mandolin technique.

Biography

Early years

Davis was raised in

Cullman, Alabama Cullman is the largest city and county seat of Cullman County, Alabama, United States. It is located along Interstate 65, about north of Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham and about south of Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville. As of the 2020 United ...

, in a musical family. His grandfather J.H. Bailey played banjo and fiddle. In the 1930s, his father Leddell Davis and uncles sang the "brother duets" music style (a forerunner of bluegrass music), and Davis's uncle Cleo Davis was a member of the first incarnation of

's Blue Grass Boys.

Warrior River Boys

Garry Thurmond formed the original Warrior River Boys in 1960. When his health failed in 1984, he turned leadership of the band over to Davis. The band has included fiddler

Charlie Cline Charles Cline (June 6, 1931 in Baisden, Mingo County, West Virginia - November 19, 2004), was an American bluegrass fiddler and multi-instrumentalist, known for being the sideman of several legendary bluegrass groups from the 1950s and well into ...

and former Blue Grass Boy Tom Ewing. The band recorded 150 songs with Wango Records, launched by radio personality Ray Davis. These "Basement Recordings" have appeared on various albums through the years, many on the

Time Life Time Life, Inc. (also habitually represented with a hyphen as Time-Life, Inc., even by the company itself) was an American multi-media conglomerate company formerly known as a prolific production/publishing company and direct marketeer seller ...

label. In 1990, Davis released the album ''New Beginnings'' followed in 1993 by ''Sounds Like Home'', both on

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts, by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by A ...

. Released in 2004, the album ''David Davis & The Warrior River Boys'' on

Rebel Records Rebel Records is an independent American record label based in Charlottesville, Virginia that specializes in bluegrass and old time music. The label was founded in Mount Rainier, Maryland in 1959 by Dick Freeland, Bill Carroll and Sonny Compto ...

features a wide range of rarely-covered songs. 2006 saw the release of ''Troubled Times''. Davis partnered with occasional Warrior River Boys sideman

Randall Franks Randall Franks is an American entertainer recognized for his multifaceted career in the arts. He is known for his roles as a film and television actor, author, and as a Bluegrass music, bluegrass singer and musician. Franks is proficient in playi ...

, who is best known as “Officer Randy Goode” from the

In the Heat of the Night (TV series) In the Heat of the Night may refer to: * ''In the Heat of the Night'' (novel), a 1965 novel by John Ball * ''In the Heat of the Night'' (film), a 1967 film based on the novel * ''In the Heat of the Night'' (TV series), a 1988–1995 television s ...

, to release an Appalachian brother duet CD “God’s Children” in 2000. Warrior River Boy Marty Hays played bass on the project. They were joined by guests

Sonny Shroyer Otis Burt "Sonny" Shroyer Jr. (born August 28, 1935) is an American retired actor who has appeared in various television and film roles. He is best known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Enos Strate in the television series '' The Dukes of Hazza ...

from

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy television series created by Gy Waldron that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985, with a total of seven seasons consisting of List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes, 147 ...

Ramblin' Tommy Scott Ramblin' Tommy Scott (June 24, 1917 – September 30, 2013), aka "Doc" Tommy Scott, was an American country and rockabilly musician. Biography Thomas Scott was born outside of Toccoa, Georgia, United States, and began playing the guitar at a ...

, and Cotton and Jane Carrier. Davis and his band also appeared on Franks's country show ''The Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree'' in the 1990s. In 2009, Davis released ''Two Dimes & A Nickel'' on Rebel. He returned to Rounder Records to create “Didn’t He Ramble: The Songs of Charlie Poole” released in 2018. During his four decade career, many talented musicians appeared with the Warrior River Boys but in this era, besides Davis on mandolin, the lineup of the Warrior River Boys included Phillip James (fiddle), Stan Wilemon (guitar), Marty Hays (bass), and Robert Montgomery (banjo).

Death

On September 15, 2024, Davis died from injuries caused by an automobile accident in Snead, Alabama. He was 63.

Awards

Davis was inducted into the Alabama Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2014, Davis was inducted into America's Old-Time Country Music Hall Of Fame.

Discography

David Davis and the Warrior River Boys

* 1986: ''The Voice in the Night'' (Stoneground) * 1988: ''Passin' Thru'' (Rutabaga) * 1990: ''New Beginnings'' ( Rounder) * 1993: ''Sounds Like Home'' (Rounder) * 1997: ''My Dixie Home'' (Wango) * 2003: ''America's Music'' (Wango) * 2004: ''David Davis and the Warrior River Boys'' (

Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

) * 2006: ''Troubled Times'' (Rebel) * 2009: ''Two Dimes & A Nickel'' (Rebel) * 2018: ''Didn't He Ramble: Songs Of Charlie Poole'' (Rounder)

Compilations

* 2016: ''Retrospective: Live 1984-2014'' (self-released)

Also appears on

* 2000: various artists - ''Freight Trains Rides Again Volume One'' (Wango) * 2000: various artists ''Plum Pitiful Volume Two'' (Wango) * 2001: various artists - ''It's Hymn-Time Volume Two's'' (Wango)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, David 1961 births 2024 deaths American country singer-songwriters Bluegrass musicians from Alabama American bluegrass mandolinists People from Cullman, Alabama Country musicians from Alabama Singer-songwriters from Alabama