Davy Knowles
By MNJ
Davy Knowles will be appearing at DV East London on April 12th as part of the Evening with Paul Reed Smith and Friends.
Davy grew up on the Isle of Man and was just 11 when he borrowed his father’s acoustic guitar and painstakingly learned to play Dire Strait’s Sultans of Swing by ear. As a teenager, he mined his father’s record collection to learn all he could about the Blues, discovering John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Rory Gallagher, which in turn led him to Blind Willie Johnson and Robert Johnson. Davy played in bands throughout his school years and formed his first band Back Door Slam with his school mates. The band’s debut recording Roll Away, which featured Adam Jones on bass and Ross Doyle on drums, was released by Blix Street Records in June, 2007. Knowles wrote all but one of the tracks on the record, which became a Top Five staple on Billboard’s Blues chart.
Nick Anderman of the Village Voice wrote, “Davy Knowles, the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter, is talented like very few bluesmen these days. He shreds like a young Robert Cray and wails like the love of his life was just hit by a truck,” while Shane Harrison of the Atlanta Journal Constitution said, “If this were a more just world, the band’s startlingly talented guitarist, singer and songwriter Davy Knowles would already be a star.”
Such acclaim continued as the band played clubs, concerts and festivals and shared billings with George Thorogood, Buddy Guy, Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Who and the legendary jam band Gov’t Mule. They also appeared on television’s CBS Early Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live as well as on NPR’s World Cafe and Voice of America’s Border Crossings.
After parting company with his band mates Jones and Doyle he recorded the follow up to Roll Away, produced by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter-guitarist Peter Frampton, who also features on the album. Despite the thousands of miles he’s already logged on the road – 300 plus dates in 18 months to support Back Door Slam’s debut CD in America – Davy’s anxious to get back out there to play. “You should play music because you love doing it,” he says, “If you can hang in for the long haul, you’re doing what most people can’t, and you’re incredibly lucky.” He’s begun to call America home, but there’s a hint of wistfulness when he speaks about the Isle of Man, a feeling addressed in the title song of Roll Away, “It’s a beautiful place and I feel lucky to have grown up there – but you can’t forget that there’s also a world out there beyond it.”
Davy Knowles plays PRS Guitars. For more information about Davy Knowles visit his website: www.davyknowles.com
Tags: davy knowles, prs guitars