Matthew Davidson is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter originally from Shreveport, Louisiana and now based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is currently touring with

Restless Road Restless Road is an American country music band based in Nashville, Tennessee. The band is made up of Zach Beeken, Garrett Nichols, and Colton Pack who originally auditioned solo for the third season of the American singing competition series '' ...

. He has also toured with Conner Smith and

Travis Denning Travis Denning (born December 1, 1992) is an American country music singer and songwriter signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, UMG Nashville's Mercury Nashville label. He has charted with the singles "David Ashley Parker from Powder Springs ...

. He has performed at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

, on Today with Hoda and Jenna, and on Broadway in downtown Nashville at venues such as Dierks Whiskey Row, The Stage, Legends Corner, Second Fiddle, and Tootsie's. He graduated in 2020 from

Belmont University Belmont University is a Private university, private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporate ...

with a Bachelor of Music in Commercial Guitar.

Awards and experience

Davidson was the winner of the 2011

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

Blues Foundation/Gibson Guitar New Generation Award. His debut EP "Step Up" was released in 2012 and produced by bassist

Joe Osborn Joe Osborn (August 28, 1937 – December 14, 2018OffBeat (music magazine) ''OffBeat'' is a New Orleans, Louisiana monthly local music magazine founded by Jan V. Ramsey in 1987. The magazine, published by OffBeat, Inc., focuses on the popular music of New Orleans and Louisiana, which is generally R&B, blues, jazz, roc ...

in New Orleans in their annual "Best of the Beat" Awards. Davidson performed as a guest soloist with The Shreveport Symphony Orchestra in May, 2015. His original song “Read My Mind” was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2014 International Songwriting Competition. Davidson and his band opened for

Austin Mahone Austin Harris Mahone (;) is an American singer. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, he gained initial recognition performing covers of pop songs on YouTube. He was discovered by record producers Rocco Did It Again! and Mike Blumstein in 20 ...

in 2014,

Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, is an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and formerly Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group signed a ...

in 2015 and

Rachel Platten Rachel Ashley Platten (born May 20, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and author. After releasing two albums independently in 2003 and 2011, she signed with Columbia Records in 2015 and released her mainstream debut single, "Fight Song (Ra ...

in 2016. Photographer Robert M. Knight invited Davidson to join “The Brotherhood of the Guitar” (BOTG). The BOTG is a project launched by Knight and sponsored by

Ernie Ball Ernie Ball (born Roland Sherwood Ball; August 30, 1930 – September 9, 2004) was an American entrepreneur and musician who developed guitar-related products. Ball began as a club and local television musician and entrepreneur, building an inter ...

. The BOTG’s purpose is to shine a spotlight on a select group of unsigned up-and-coming young guitar players from around the world. Davidson was the featured BOTG member in the September 2013 issue of ''

Guitar Center Guitar Center, Inc. is an American musical instrument retailer chain headquartered in Westlake Village, California. It operates 304 locations and is the largest company of its kind in the United States. The company oversees several subsidia ...

'' magazine. Davidson was selected by The Grammy Foundation to attend both 2014 and 2015 Grammy Camp in Nashville, Tennessee, hosted by

. The camp offered high school students a week-long immersive music experience, focusing on all aspects of commercial music and taught by industry professionals. Applicants were selected based on submissions of performance and interview videos. In 2013, he placed in the Top 10 in an international guitar contest sponsored by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

and

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

. Davidson won his first electric guitar in the 2007

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana, United States) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also ...

Guitar Showdown. He was the youngest of eight student guitarists selected to play with

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Kenny Wayne Shepherd (born Kenneth Wayne Brobst; June 12, 1977) is an American guitarist. He has released several studio albums and experienced significant commercial success as a blues rock artist. Early life Shepherd was born in Shrevepo ...

at his 2009 Artbreak Concert. He has played at the

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

Museum and the B.B. King Homecoming Concert in

Indianola, Mississippi Indianola is a city in and the county seat of Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States, in the Mississippi Delta. The population was 10,683 at the 2010 census. History On June 30, 1874 the town was surveyed and on April 14, 1885 an addition ...

, and the Delta Blues Fest in Greenville, where in addition to his own set, he sat in with

Honeyboy Edwards Honey Boy may refer to: People * Honeyboy Edwards (1915–2011), American Delta blues guitarist and singer from Mississippi *George "Honey Boy" Evans George Evans (10 March 1870 – 5 March 1915) known as "Honey Boy" Evans was a Wales, Welsh-bor ...

for a few songs. Davidson has played at the

Pinetop Perkins Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins (July 7, 1913 – March 21, 2011) was an American blues pianist. He played with some of the most influential blues and rock-and-roll performers of his time and received numerous honors, including a Grammy Lifet ...

Homecoming Celebration and the famous

Ground Zero A hypocenter or hypocentre (), also called ground zero or surface zero, is the point on the Earth's surface directly below a nuclear explosion, meteor air burst, or other mid-air explosion. In seismology, the hypocenter of an earthquake is its p ...

Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19t ...

. Davidson performed at the Dallas International Guitar Festival and in the Youth Showcase at the 2011 International Blues Challenge in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, jamming at the B. B. King Blues Club while he was there. Other venues where Davidson has performed are The Strand Theatre (Shreveport, Louisiana), Temple Theater (Meridian, Mississippi), The Ellis Marsalis Center in the Musicians' Village,

New Orleans Mint The New Orleans Mint () operated in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a branch mint (facility), mint of the United States Mint from 1838 to 1861 and from 1879 to 1909. During its years of operation, it produced over 427 million gold and silver coins ...

in New Orleans, and the

Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium is a historic performance and meeting venue at 705 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Shreveport, Louisiana. It is an Art Deco building constructed between 1926 and 1929 during the administration of List of mayor ...

, home of the

Louisiana Hayride ''Louisiana Hayride'' is a radio and later television country music show that was broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana; during its heyday from 1948 to 1960, it helped to launch the careers of some ...

. In 2013, Davidson was invited to join

on stage at the 59Twenty Music Festival in

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, ...

. He was selected out of several hundred applicants to be the guitarist for the 2011

Kidd Kraddick David Peter Cradick (August 22, 1959 – July 27, 2013) was an American radio host and television personality, known as Kidd Kraddick. His nationally syndicated morning radio show, '' The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show'', is based in Irving, ...

Rock Camp Band. As part of this camp, Davidson had the opportunity to perform live on the air on the nationally syndicated radio show "Kidd Kraddick in the Morning". Davidson has had the honor of sharing the stage with

Joe Osborn Joe Osborn (August 28, 1937 – December 14, 2018Brady Blade Brady L Blade Jr (born 1965 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American rock, pop and country drummer, record producer and composer. He is the son of Dorothy and Pastor Brady Blade Sr. (Pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana). ...

, and

Patrick Stump Patrick Martin Stumph (born April 27, 1984), known professionally as Patrick Vaughn Stump, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Rock music, rock band Fall Out Boy ...

from Fall Out Boy. Davidson's musical taste was largely acquired from listening to his father's CD collection of music by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (also known as SRV; October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (band), Double Trouble. Although his ma ...

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...

and

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American Rock music, rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty, h ...

Early career performances

The Matthew Davidson Band made their debut on June 25, 2010. They played at The

International Guitar Festival, the State Fair of Louisiana, Independence Stadium, the Krewe of Centaur Parade, the Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival, Holiday in Dixie, AlleyFest in

Longview, Texas Longview is a city in, and county seat of, Gregg County, Texas, United States. Longview is located in East Texas, where Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway system, U.S. highways U.S. Route 80, 80 and U.S. Route 259, 259 converge just north of the Sabi ...

, Fort Worth Mayfest, Grapefest in

Grapevine, Texas Grapevine is a city located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States, with minor portions extending into Dallas County, Texas, Dallas and Denton County, Texas, Denton counties. Its population was 50,631 in the 2020 United States Census, ...

, The T-Bone Walker Blues Fest in

Linden, Texas Linden is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Texas, United States. At the 2020 United States census, its population was 1,825. Linden is named after the city of Linden in Perry County, Tennessee. Geography Linden is located south ...

, Crossroads Music Company in

Winnsboro, Texas Winnsboro is a city in Franklin and Wood counties in northeastern Texas, United States, north of Tyler. The population was 3,455 at the 2020 census. Settlement of Winnsboro began in the 1850s with a post office established between 1854 and 18 ...

and the KTBS 3 Independence Day Festival. They were honored to be selected as the Grand Marshals of the Krewe of Aesclepius Mardi Gras Parade. The Matthew Davidson Band performed at the Dallas

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...

, the

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurant, theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll ...

in Dallas, on

Red River Radio Red River Radio is a regional public radio network for northwest Louisiana, southern Arkansas, eastern Texas, and the southeasternmost corner of Oklahoma, serving communities in the valley of the Red River of the South through five radio stations ...

and headlined the Mississippi Blues Marathon in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

. They performed at the 2011

King Biscuit Blues Festival The King Biscuit Blues Festival is an annual, multi-day blues festival, held in Helena, Arkansas, United States. History The name of the festival comes from ''King Biscuit Time'', which was the longest running radio show. Sonny Boy Williamson I ...

Helena, Arkansas Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phil ...

, the 2012

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of vi ...

, the 2012

Natchitoches Christmas Festival The Natchitoches Christmas Festival (Festival of Lights) is held annually in Natchitoches, Louisiana on the first weekend in December. History The Christmas festival is expanded throughout the community each year but is centered on the historic d ...

, the 2013 Baton Rouge FestForAll and the 2013 Louisiana Seafood Festival in New Orleans.

Independent albums

References

"Breakfast Television Toronto" - Matthew Davidson performs with Conner Smith -February 12, 2024

"Boots and Whiskey Podcast: Matthew Davidson" - July 18, 2023

"Connecticut's Country Podcast: Matthew Davidson" - May 18, 2023

"The Craig Veltri Interview: Matthew Davidson" - May 16, 2023

"239 Uncensored - Matthew Davidson-Nashville's Favorite Guitarist" - Jan. 12, 2023

"Starting Small Music Podcast - Matthew Davidson: Guitarist for Travis Denning" - April 15,2022

"Davidson Plays Guitar for Travis Denning's Performance on Today with Hoda and Jenna" - Belmont University News - March 11,2020

"Former Fleetwood Mac Member Bob Welch Celebrated in Musicians Hall of Fame Exhibit" - Belmont University News - August 27,2018

"Young Entrepreneur Spotlight: Matthew Davidson" - National Federation of Independent Business - August 30,2016

"Love for music leads to scholarship for local student" - Kevin Connelly, The Shreveport Times - April 26,2016

"Radio Segment Congratulating Matthew for opening for Fifth Harmony" - K945.com by Jay Whatley - July 27,2015

"Shreveporter Matthew Davidson Opened for Fifth Harmony" - K945.com by Jay Whatley - July 27,2015

"What Makes a Prodigy?" - The Shreveport Times - February 26,2015

"A Good Pick" - The Forum News - August 20,2014

"Shreveport's Matthew Davidson Opened for Austin Mahone" - Jay Whatley, K94.5 - July 14,2014

"Students Learn the Music Industry at Grammy Camp" - News Channel 5 (Nashville, TN) - June 11,2014

"Matthew Davidson - "Cross My Heart" review - Offbeat Magazine - June 1,2014

"Matthew Davidson - "Cross My Heart" 2014" - Something Else Reviews - May 14,2014

"Shreveport Band to Rock AlleyFest" - The Longview News-Journal - May 8,2014

"Matthew Davidson Impresses with Cross My Heart" - Derick Jones, The Shreveport Times - April 23,2014

"Louisiana's 16 year-old guitar slinger, Matthew Davidson, is a Heartbreaker" - Robert Trudeau, Heliopolis - April 16,2014

"Mom-a-gers: The Guitar Hero" - Stephanie Jordan, City Life Magazine - April 1,2014

"5 Things You Didn't Know about Matthew Davidson" - Justin Massoud, K94.5 - March 4,2014

"One Track Mind: Matthew Davidson "Heartbreaker" 2013" - Nick DeRiso, Something Else Reviews - Oct.27,2013

"Popular Band is Back Again for Second Saturday" - Marshall News-Messenger - Sept.14, 2013

"Shreveport's Matthew Davidson Featured in Guitar Center, Releases New Single" - K945 - Sept.4, 2013

"Matthew Davidson Visits Seacrest Studios" - Children's Medical Center Dallas - July 19, 2013

"Matthew Davidson Invited to Join Brotherhood of the Guitar" - American Blues Scene - April 30, 2013

"Entertainment Reporter Interviews Matthew Davidson and Robert Knight" - Jabari Thomas KSLA(CBS) - April 30, 2013

"Shreveport's Own Matthew Davidson in Robert Knight's Eye" - K94.5 - April 26, 2013

"Matthew Davidson Interview and Performance" - KPXJ/KTBS Interview - April 23, 2013

"Matthew Davidson Invited to Join 'Brotherhood of the Guitar'" - The Shreveport Times - April 2, 2013

"Sucarnochee Revue to record live in Livingston" - The Demopolis Times - January 30, 2013

"Robert Johnson Blues Foundation Award Recipient Matthew Davidson Talks About the Blues" - William Clark - Guitar International - January 9, 2013

"Music Review-Matthew Davidson-Step Up" - Alex V. Cook - Offbeat Magazine - January, 2013

"Matthew Davidson at Northwest LA Veterans Home on Christmas Eve" - KTAL News Channel 6 - Dec. 24, 2012

"Prodigies Will Play at 'Turn on the Lights'" - Amanda Franko-Tobin - The Natchitoches Times - Nov. 16, 2012

"Album Review - Matthew Davidson's Step Up" - Annie Reuter - You Sing I Write - Oct. 9, 2012

"Music Notes - October" - County Line Magazine - Sept. 28, 2012

"10:01 Spotlight - Matthew Davidson Steps Up" - Bill Beckett - Red River Radio - Sept. 28, 2012

* ttp://www.notreble.com/buzz/2012/09/13/matthew-davidson-releases-step-up-ep-featuring-joe-osborn/ "Matthew Davidson Releases "Step Up" EP, featuring Joe Osborn" - NoTreble.com - Sept. 13, 2012
"Teen Guitar Prodigy Steps Up with Debut Recording" - PRWeb.com - Sept. 6, 2012

"Living The Dream - Rock n Roll Style" - Derick Jones, The Shreveport Times - Aug.17, 2012

"Interview with Matthew Davidson and Joe Osborn" - Talk of the Town with Tom Pace - July 28, 2012

"Cities in Blue - Texas" - Canadian Television Program - 2012

"Shreveport’s Own Matthew Davidson Band Rocks Jazz Fest" - K94.5 - May 10, 2012

* [https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/article_7b41cc66-31d9-5e6a-a538-6aa33dcf358f.html "Teen bluesman Matthew Davidson to close Kids Tent at New Orleans Jazz Fest Saturday" - New Orleans Times-Picayune (NOLA.com) - May 4, 2012]
"Guitar Prodigy - Humble & Hip" - SB Magazine - May, 2012

* ttp://k945.com/matthew-davidson-is-the-man/ "Matthew Davidson is THE Man - Blue Star Connection Donates Instruments to Sutton Children's Hospital" -K945.com - Mar. 16, 2012
"Shreveport Teen Wins Robert Johnson New Generation Award" -The Shreveport Times - Jan. 5, 2012

"2011 New Generation Award Winner" - Robert Johnson Blues Foundation website

"Teen Guitarist Matthew Davidson Wins Robert Johnson Award" - American Blues Scene - Jan. 5, 2012

* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN9fVFIwE9Y 2011 Kidd Kraddick Rock Camp Band - Breaking Even on "Good Morning, Texas", Aug. 17, 2011
Kidd Kraddick Presents the Third Rock Camp - AllAccess.com - July 27, 2011

Interview with Matthew Davidson at Kidd Kraddick Rock Camp - July, 2011

KTBS 3 Interview promoting Matthew's appearance at the KTBS Independence Day Festival - July 3, 2011

"Get Ready East Texas for The Matthew Davidson Band" Piney Woods Live - June, 2011

"13 Year Old Blues Man Matthew Davidson" American Blues Scene May, 2011

KTBS coverage of The Matthew Davidson Band in the Krewe of Centaur Mardi Gras parade - Feb., 2011

"Interview with The Matthew Davidson Band" KTBS 3 - Oct. 10, 2010

"Interview with Matthew Davidson at the Delta Blues Fest" Greenville, MS - Sept. 18, 2010

External links

Matthew Davidson's website

Matthew Davidson's YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Matthew 1998 births Living people Guitarists from Louisiana Musicians from Shreveport, Louisiana 21st-century American guitarists